India’s potential No 3 Sai Sudharsan said he was open to inverting the order of lunch and tea during the Guwahati Test because it hardly mattered. Beyond the tradition, the Indian batsman didn’t seem to be bothered by a 9 a.m start and tea at 11, and lunch after the second session to accommodate early sunset timings of the North East hosting its biggest cricket match – a Test featuring world champions South Africa.
Guwahati lucked out and landed a Test match and gets to watch Temba Bavuma’s side alongside all the Team India superstars, including Jasprit Bumrah and KL Rahul. But the early sunrise and sunset timings have meant tweaking the lunch time, and pushing tea to later. Sai Sudharsan quipped it was no big deal.
“”I don’t mind having tea before lunch, I already drink tea during lunch, so I’ll probably enjoy it. Of course, it’s new, but we’ll get used to it. It’s exciting to explore,” he told JioStar’s ‘Follow The Blues’, speaking about the unique tea-before-lunch timing.
For Indians who trail the Proteas 0-1, nailing the cricket is important. Md Siraj said he was learning quickly. “When you’re playing against a good team, and you’re bowling against good batsmen and taking their wickets, you get a lot of confidence. Because when you play against a strong team, you quickly realise where you’re making a mistake. So, it’s good that I’m playing against a team like South Africa. It’s a lot of fun.”
The South Africans too look focussed and unfussed, and their spinner Keshav Maharaj shared his thoughts on the tea session being earlier than lunch, ‘We actually heard about it recently. It’s an interesting one, but you can understand the thinking behind it. Sunlight becomes a factor, so they’re trying to maximise playing time. We respect the rules put in place, and we’re here to compete and give our best as a South African unit.”
South Africa middle order Aiden Markram however admitted he wasn’t a massive fan, but he would most likely gulp down the tea and gobble the lunch without letting it bother him much. ‘It’s interesting. I’m not the biggest fan of it, to be honest. I think Test cricket should always start at 10 a.m. with lunch followed by tea. But those are the cards you’re dealt, and you just get on with it. It’ll be something different to experience, but hopefully, it doesn’t become a common thing,” he said, hoping it remains a Guwahati oddity.
