There was an early shock for those, like me, who hadn't been to a Lord's Test on the tube for a while. The crowd. The ground ended up comfortably full, and most of them seemed to arrive at St John's Wood station at aroundthe same time. The venerable old escalator took the strain.

The walk to the ground wasn't made any easier by the touts, human bollards who insisted on standing right in the middle of the throng and chanting their "Anyone want tickets" mantra. There is a way to shift them, though: accidentally knee-capping them with a heavy bag (inc laptop and a Wisden or two) seems to do the trick.

Autograph hunters will have a field day at this year's Lord's Test. Many of the luminaries who were flown in for the Wisden Indian Cricketer of the Century awards earlier this week are still here, which means that on every walk around the ground there's a Bishan here or a Vishy there. Militarily upright at 87, Capt. Mushtaq Ali took the air behind the Tavern Stand, waving an arm – half regal wave, half salute – to anyone who recognised him.

There's nothing worse than rain on the Lord's parade, so the good news was that the sun shone. As is customary these days for England's opponents, two left-armers opened the bowling, and it was the impressive Zaheer Khan who made the breakthrough.

Another trademark was the traditional Mark Butcher headless-chicken run, when he tipped one towards mid-off and took off. He'd have been run out by yards if VVS Laxman had hit, but Butcher did collect four overthrows instead. Perhaps it's a cunning plan.

Inside the swish media centre (which contained everyone who has ever edited Wisden Cricket Monthly), there was another surprise. The lurid mat on the outfield near the pavilion seemed to suggest that the match was being sponsored by Jemodu. An Indian car company, perhaps, or a supplier of exclusive French menswear? The other mat gave a better clue. Well, you try reading npower upside down.

Over the years Lord's has evolved into a bright modern stadium, from the faded grandeur it used to favour in the 1970s and 1980s. A champagne bar dispenses Mumm to Mum, and nearby in the Pimm's tent girls ladle fruit and ice into their sickly concoctions. The lawn behind the Warner Stand is dotted with rugs and picnics, awaiting their owners' return.

Some things, though, remain unchanged. On guard at the staircase at the entrance to the Warner Stand press box stands the same old steward, a distinguished-looking Indian gentleman with a trim, grey spade beard. He looks slightly bemused – maybe no-one has thought to tell him that the press-box closed three years ago, and it's now the staff entrance for a members' bar.

Steven Lynch is database director of Wisden.com

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