Staying in Sandton, the plush suburb where the teams participating in the Champions Trophy are based, is a somewhat surreal experience. Broad leafy avenues carve their way past high-rises, luxurious bungalows, and office tower blocks. But what takes the cake is the centre of the suburb — Mandela Square.

Every structure in the square is connected by an "air-bridge" and a patron entering any of the surrounding malls, hotels or offices need not emerge again to breath in god-gifted air till she or he has finished with whatever took them into the concrete monsters in the first place. And it is like entering a maze designed to lighten your pockets speedily. The unwary learn this the hard way.

The other thing that strikes one about the area is the almost complete absence of pedestrian traffic. No one walks — unless they absolutely have to. Strange, considering that this is a walker’s paradise. But then again, not so strange if you give ear to the many stories of crime on the hoof that greet the visitor here. These, though, are early days yet and hope springs eternal that one will be on the streets of Jo’burg — and soon.

Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms, and Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh too has picked up his share of this commodity. The feisty sardar has set his sights on becoming an all-rounder — and is serious about this potential transformation in his cricketing approach. "Sunil Gavaskar recently wanted to know when I would hit my first hundred. Coming from him it was a huge thing. Hopefully there will soon be a cause for cheer and it would be for Sunny bhai," Harbhajan said here in the run-up to the Champions Trophy.

However, he is also clear that his primary function continues to be with the ball, though he shrugs off the pressure of being India’s lead bowler at this short and sharp event. Coming off a five-wicket haul against hosts Sri Lanka in the Compaq Cup final, he added: "I like pressure. You want to do better when you are required the most. You deliver when the team needs it. Challenges lift me up. Light and soft matches aren’t that motivating.

"Ten overs are a lot of over. You get to bowl in three or four spells. Sometimes you are looking to save runs. On other occasions, you want to attack and pick up wickets."

Rahul Banerji