Before the April 2 win, an April 1 prank

And at the end of it all, there were smiles all round, the Bangalore humiliation was put firmly aside and the right note struck for the Kochi game, team manager Wing Commander Bal Aditya told The Sunday Express.

The prank? Well, the team decided to target Ganguly with a ‘news report’, which had the skipper lambasting key team-members and coach John Wright.

It quoted Ganguly as saying:

• Harbhajan should be banned by ICC because he chucks

• Zaheer Khan breaks down after every two matches and he is not fit

• Yuvraj Singh does not concentrate on his game

• Vice-captain Rahul Dravid does not give his best under Sourav’s captaincy

• Coach John Wright should be replaced by Greg Chappell

Everybody named in the ‘report’ was taken into confidence and printouts quickly taken. Then, some of the players named started taking turns to confront Ganguly about his ‘‘remarks’’.

A stunned skipper denied the charges vehemently and was on the verge of despair when the team manager cut in and called the bluff. ‘‘Till late last night, Sourav kept saying how much better he felt after that prank,’’ said Aditya.