India etched history during the 1992 tour of South Africa as they became the first team to travel there after apartheid ended. On December 8, 1992, it was the first-ever ODI that was played in South Africa. The seven-match series between the two sides ended in the favour of the hosts as they won 5-2.
From a cricket perspective, the “Friendship Series” was like riding on a dark road without a Google map, and it was played in an environment of political unrest. In 1992, there were no diplomatic ties between India and South Africa, the FW De Klerk administration was not recognized, and Indian passports were branded with the phrase “not valid for Israel and South Africa.” In terms of cricket, South Africa was completely unknown; no one knew anything about the players, grounds, conditions, or pitches. Total ignorance.
Before games, team meetings were mainly informal gatherings when everyone drank tea and exchanged well wishes. There was essentially no pre-tour preparation and there was no team practice or conditioning camp. A few days before departure, players assembled in Bombay to pick up tour gear and take the traditional team portrait before boarding the aircraft. I was instructed to negotiate playing terms with Ali Bacher, and the tour deal with South Africa had not been finalized.
It’s interesting to note that the team coached by Mohamad Azharuddin only had 17 members: 14 players, head coach Ajit Wadekar, physio-trainer Ali Irani, and me as manager. With no support personnel, Irani and I had to take care of everything, including booking hotels, transportation, meals, managing funds, allocating daily allowances, and even assisting with fielding exercises, throwdowns, and catching practice.
Compare that to today, when there is a sizable team (including travelling reserves and net bowlers) and over 20 support personnel, each of whom is an expert in their area. The manager is essentially superfluous and unemployed due to the large number of people surrounding the team; his sole responsibilities are to seem active and provide player match tickets.
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