Tea time at Nottingham, the fifth day of the third Test between India and England. The match lurched towards a draw, there was scant interest in the game save speculation about the possibility of Sachin reaching a second hundred. The Indian cricketers were in the process of packing bags, dumping gear into coffins, discarding old equipment, when all of a sudden walks in Geoffrey Boycott.

First he sought Mongia out and proceeded to admonish him for getting riled by the theatrics of Dominic Cork. After lunch when an lbw appeal was turned down, Cork said a few words to Mongia who naturally responded. The next ball was well up, Mongia went into a huge drive, the ball flew uncontrollably over slips to third man.

That was bad batting, said Boycott, because cricket should be played with the mind, not the mouth. As Mongia listened attentively, Boycott told him that when someone like Cork needles you, the best thing to do is turn around and ignore him. Cork can bowl but he is a pain in the neck - he does all this to disturb you and spoil your concentration. Don't pay any attention to him. The wild drive the next ball was unwise because it could easily have gone to hand.

Boycott's batting methods were very simple. A superb tactician, he believed in making the bowler slog. ``Don't get yourself out, that is the job of the bowler and the fielding side,'' he told Mongia, unhappy over the fact that the Indian wicketkeeper played a lazy shot.

``Obviously you don't like batting'' he said chiding Mongia, ``You get tired and play a bad shot. If I were your captain I'd made you wear pads and run five rounds of the field. That's what Lloyd made Haynes do when he got out in the 30s and 40s regularly.'' The other players laughed at an embarrassed Haynes but he learnt his lesson. After that once Desmond got in he never got out!

Having dealt with Mongia, Boycott moved to Sourav Ganguly. ``You are a good player,'' said Boycott, ``but I'll give you a tip because you have a problem when the bowler comes in round the wicket.''

Sourav earlier in the day was defeated by Cork bowling round, he came down late on a ball which slipped off the bat to dislodge a bail.

``The problem,'' analysed Guru Boycott, ``is you don't move sufficiently across in time, the different angle of the delivery messes up your footwork, the body isn't in place and you reach for the ball with outstretched hands. The bowlers are always looking for these minor clinks and good bowling is all about different angles to disrupt batsmen.''

Sourav, like a good pupil, heard him out and then popped the inevitable question about what he needed to do. ``That's not for me to tell,'' responded Boycott, ``you need to work that out yourself in the net because what works for me may not work for you. Maybe take guard at middle and leg, maybe just leg. But the basic thing is to get across behind the ball and be in position before it reaches you.''

As Boycott spoke to Mongia and Sourav the others listened with respect. In the dressing room, conversation came to a stop and except for Boycott's well-meaning lecture, delivered in the manner of a stern school master, and the occasional clicking of tea cups there was hardly any other sound.

Next on Boycott's list was Azhar, the beleaguered Indian captain, struggling desperately on this tour to make runs. ``There is nothing wrong with you,'' he assured Azhar, ``all you need is some confidence and once that happens the runs will start flowing again.''

The basic thing for Azhar in Boycott's opinion is he should get into a net and keep playing. After Azhar has made some runs in domestic cricket he will be as good as ever. He is fit enough, good enough, able enough to score many more Test runs -- only he should not do anything stupid like not playing. The key is to keep working, for there is not other way for success.

``He always likes me'' said Azhar as Boycott left after wishing Sachin luck, obviously Tendulkar did not appear in need of much advice. ``He talks to me regularly and I follow him because he is very positive and helpful.''

Indian manager Sandeep Patil echoed this sentiment. ``You can't get better cricket wisdom,'' he announced. ``Boycott was a tremen- dous player. Listen to him carefully.''