Sunday, December 23, 2001 The crowd
Something unmistakably Indian to sip on mentally when the English nights are long and Auntie's Bloomers is on television. Watching the crowd watching Tendulkar was like being at an evangelical rally, but with all of the joy and none of the fear. Anticipation of his arrival has people running to the stadium, when the second wicket falls the crowd work themselves into a Bacchanalian frenzy. "Sachin" must be the most famous cry since "Barrabas". When he walked out at Mohali for his first innings of the series, no-one cared two hoots about Deep Dasgupta who had just made his first Test century. Never has five-five been so intimidating. This was the haka with knobs on, and England gulped.

When one into eight doesn't go
England's negative tactics had successfully restricted Tendulkar to just 35 runs in the morning session at Ahmedabad. But sometimes enough is enough. After lunch Matthew Hoggard ploughed in, supported by an 8-1 field, and delivered a ball outside off stump. With a flick of the wrists it went humming through midwicket for four, the fifth ball on the same spot rocketed through wide mid-on, the last went for three through forward square leg. A five-minute encapsulation of genius.

Sehwag's reverse-sweep
A gem of a shot, in a gem of an innings, from a gem of a player who deserves better than to be regarded as a political football. Sehwag is known as the chubby Sachin, resembling him in everything from his walk to his kindly face, but at Bangalore he dared to attack where Tendulkar had mostly played patience. Not many attempt the reverse-sweep in a Test match, no-one at all tries it against left-arm over into the rough. Until Sehwag. It was an audacious counter-attack, and resuscitated the crowd who had been left gasping by Tendulkar's stumping.

Fletcher's practice with Foster
England fielding practice, Ahmedabad, the day before the second Test. Duncan Fletcher was chucking balls at James Foster, hard and fast, in a high-pressure session, in front of a media pack who had been critical of Foster's miserable Test debut at Mohali. But Fletcher made it light-hearted, cheering every catch and high-fiving Foster after a particularly cracking take. Foster didn't miss a chance for the rest of the trip. A journalist who had been following England for a decade said it was the best example of man-management he had seen.

Giles bowling Kumble
The ball that said he was back. Poor Ashley Giles had spent his tour limping from the massive hams of Dean Conway to the ice bucket. He fielded at Hyderabad and played at Jaipur before bruising his heel and ruling himself out of the first Test. But he was determined to play at Ahmedabad and 43.3 overs later had his best Test figures in his pocket. The dismissal of Anil Kumble gave him the greatest pleasure - a left-armer's fantasy, pitching middle, hitting off, the destroyer destroyed. The smile said it all.

Flintoff making some runs
By the end of the Test series he was a walking wicket, it was just a matter of counting the balls. But against India A at Jaipur, Andy Flintoff showed why everyone wants him to succeed so much. He walked out in his Lancashire helmet and promptly played and missed three times in his first over. But thereafter it was a case of vintage Freddie, as he drove Joshi left of the stumps for four one ball, right of the stumps another, then for a lackadaisical six back over his head. If only …

Craig White's century
When he kissed his helmet, everyone melted. It couldn't have happened to a nicer man. White is a confidence player and had felt the pressure of not being able to bowl at full pace. This innings not only rescued England but rescued White - his first Test century after seven years of underachievement. It wasn't faultless but it was inspiring - flourishing drives immediately followed dropped catches. An Anglo-Aussie playing the spinners with the guile of an Indian ... Ray Illingworth was right all along.

Tanya Aldred, our assistant editor, was Wisden.com's reporter on the tour.

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