For most in Team India, Friday was a “day of reflection,” as a member of the touring party told The Telegraph.
Had the team played to potential, the first Test wouldn’t have ended in defeat inside four days (on Thursday) and some of the players wouldn’t then have looked at options for a half-day tour of Australia’s sporting capital.
“What hurts is that we had the Test in our pocket on the third afternoon... To then lose by 122 runs is beyond explanation. It’s a day of reflection,” the member said, at The Langham.
nother member of the touring party turned rather emotional: “We’ve let go a great chance. Don’t know when next we’ll get such an opportunity. It’s a Test we should have won...”
Absolutely.
Yet another member was blunt. “But it’s not the first time that we’ve let it go... Can we recover before the second Test (at the SCG, from Tuesday)?”
A few, it seems, recovered all too quickly as the thrashing didn’t deter them from shopping. But the senior-most pro, Sachin Tendulkar, chose to spend much of his time at the gym in the hotel’s fitness centre.
Clearly, there’s plenty to learn from The Master.
Sachin, for his part, didn’t wish to speak. However, his body language suggested he was still very upset with the loss.
Despite having been in the losing team many times during his 22-year career, no defeat is just another loss for Sachin.
But what of the present generation?
That time is the best ‘healer’ strategy appears to have been adopted by the team management and no formal meeting had been called till late on Friday.
The post-mortem has been put on hold.
Surely, though, mere “reflection” alone won’t do and the Mahendra Singh Dhonis must quickly work out what needs to be done. On the face of it, it’s simple — put big runs on the board.
That quick Ryan Harris has been added to the Australia XI which won the first Test is indication enough that the SCG wicket may be quite different this time.
The team leaves for Sydney on Saturday morning.
