Glorious Headingly, Once Again

England/India Test Series a 'ripper' about to happen

The audience at Headingley held its collective breath when new Indian captain, Shubman Gill, was asked whether he would prefer to win the five-Test series against England or the IPL: there were many who genuinely didn’t know how he would answer.

Those who knew that he would prefer to win in England wondered whether he might be diplomatic, careful not to step on sensitive IPL toes. Not for a second did he pause or even consider his words:

“Win this series,” he said, unflinchingly. “How many Indian players are lucky enough to play a five-Test series in England? Once in your career, maybe. Two if you are very lucky. The IPL comes around every year, you can have a crack at it many times, but you may only have one of these chances,” Gill said.

The ‘informal’ ticket market has been doing an interesting trade around a ‘sold-out’ Headingley for the first three days. Busy, but without the extreme price mark-ups which characterise some Ashes Tests where touts can benefit from yields of 500%. The reason? Thousands of UK based Indian supporters bought their tickets months ago, primarily motivated by seeing Virat Kohli, whose subsequent retirement left them much less enthused. Tickets were exchanging hands on the morning of the match with barely a mark-up at all from face value, but still selling.

Leeds is no city for the faint-hearted – it is not a place of compromise. The city centre is full of rebuilt and repurposed buildings from the second industrial revolution – there are offices, apartments and even wine bars fashioned from the dregs of industria. Fresh coffee and pastries are available in the mornings and yet, it retains its rough edges, more than enough for Southerners to know they’re in the harder north.

Engineering was extraordinary in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries, the railway bridges and canals as rock-solid as they were 150 years ago, the locks still in the same working order as when they were vital to the transportation of coal, machinery and the produce from the cotton mills. Spray-painted with graffiti these days, a little less majestic, but still imposing.

My first assignment at Headingley was in the late 1980s. It’s hard to miss the ‘Boundary Hotel’, just 100 metres from the main gate. It had to be experienced. A year before South Africa’s Test match in 2012, 364 days to be precise, I made my booking. You have to book a year in advance for Internationals. It was quite a time. The breakfast special was ‘Full-English & pint of Stella’ for £5.50. Not best prep for a full day of commentary, but gobbled up by the majority of the other diners.

The room in the Boundary Hotel was small, not quite enough space for me and my suitcase. Three other rooms shared one toilet and a humidifier which masqueraded as a shower, with plenty of body hair straining the drainage. It was a memorable experience. I popped in for old time’s sake today. The carpets still stick to your shoes.

Sunshine in England is worshipped, anywhere. Secretaries, students and even middle-managers can all be seen rolling up their sleeves and taking off some layers to absorb a dose of Vitamin D during a rare heat-wave. Just across the street from the Headingley Media Centre, these students stripped to the bare essentials to assault their paleness, even if it meant lying next to the rubbish bins.

I may be understandably distracted by the London/Leeds time difference and the memories of the last time I was here when the Test was drawn in thrilling fashion after an epic confrontation between Kevin Pietersen and Dale Steyn. South Africa went on to claim the Test Champions Mace a week later at Lord’s. But the focus is back.

The current series, between England and India, is positioning as a memory-banker. Not sure why, just gutfeel. I’m privileged to be here commentating for the TalkSPORT Cricket Youtube channel. It’s easy to find. Subscribe if you’re keen.

Once again, many, many thanks to all of you ‘coffeed’ during my journey to and during the WTC Final. I couldn’t have done it without you. Really.