Date-stamped : 23 Dec96 - 06:13 13 December 1996 Can't Wait For Camps Bay Gary Kirsten In some ways it`s diffecult to believe that the tour, which we approached with such apprehension, is finally over. Well, almost. One of the saddest things for me is the reality that we have be- come just another statistic - yet another international team that struggled to come to terms with the conditions presented to them. I think we are now fully aware of why it`s so difficult to win here. The mindset required to focus fully on the job at hand is one of the greatest challenges we have encountered. As always, there are no excuses. The memory of the golden opportunity we had to go 1-0 up in the first test has become difficult to face. All we needed to win at Ahmedebad was 170. Man to man, we backed our- selves to do it, but one of our major weaknesses of tour was ex- posed - our batting. The final straw this was obviously this week when we failed to reach 200 in either innings on what was a reasonable, though not great, wicket. Naturally one has to ask what went wrong, especially after such a resounding win at Eden Gardens. The explanations are numerous, but one thing is for sure: we return home absolutely determined to repair the damage. And, like India, home turf counts for a lot. The wicket here in Kanpur didn`t actually play as badly as we had anticipated, although the bounce was always low and the pace slow. We expected it to turn more than it did and we were guilty of looking for gremlins that simply weren`t there. For most of us it is diffi- cult to believe that Christmas season is upon us. Nine weeks in a foreign country, especially on the sub-continent, is a helluva long time and all of us are desperately looking forward to coming home. It`s upsetting to finish the tour with a loss, but I am happy in my own mind that we gave it our best shot. Yes, we made mistakes, but I don`t think any member of the squad have given more on an individual level. So far, we`ve played 13 games (our last is tomorrow) and we`ve won nine, lost three and drawn one. That`s not bad ... although losing our first series since read- mission is a major disapointment. I`m afraid, though at the mo- ment, the thought of eating some decent and healthy food and drinking water out of a tap is uppermost in our minds. As I sit here in my hotel room writing this article I see the CBD of Kan- pur ... in the street below I see three cows grazing on a heap of refuse that was probably tossed there several days before. A game of cricket is taking place in the yard to my left in the street to my right is the constant flow of traffic, mostly scooters car- rying as many as five people to various destinations in the city. By now I realise this is the norm. Nearly 1 000 million people trying to survive in hopelesly over-populated conditions. The average wage is 30 rupees (R4) a day. I find myself asking the question: "What is the future for the people of India?" This is a nation who are passionate about the game and are always keen and willing ot help, but who also live merely to survive. I`m even more aware of how privileged I`m now - India had been hard, but also an extra-ordinary experience. I can`t wait for the return leg at home. Good luck Western Province against Border this weekend. Sadly, I won`t be able to watch any of the game. If anyone needs to contact me, please send a messenger to Camps Bay Beach. Thanks for all your support. the people of India?" This is a nation who are passionate about the game and are always keen and willing to help. Source :: Cape Times Contributed by Rodin