Displeasure over 145;twisted146; comment

There is sense in a cricket team like India8217;s having an official media coordinator.There is probably sense in a bit of control. Otherwise, stray comments like Zaheer...

There is sense in a cricket team like India8217;s having an official media coordinator.There is probably sense in a bit of control. Otherwise, stray comments like Zaheer Khan8217;s 8220;not tired8221;, end up 8220;twisted8221;, as one team member put it before moving over to Scotland for their ODI fixture.

The pacer, India8217;s bowling spearhead, told a news channel here that 8220;as far as I am concerned, I have given my everything to this series. I don8217;t think I was tired or anything8230; not really.8221;

It has not only embarrassed skipper Rahul Dravid after the follow-on not enforcing it issue, but has opened a veritable Pandora8217;s Box of controversies around the Indian cricketing fraternity.

However, team sources believe that this wasn8217;t the tone of what Zaheer wanted to say. Hence the observation that it was 8220;twisted8221; out of context.

All this has left the team set to play their first ODI, versus Scotland in Glasgow a bit flabbergasted. It has also immediately shut all manner of conversation with the cricketers.

8220;Winning in England after 21 years is a great epoch-making event,8221; said the source. 8220;And instead of rejoicing in this victory and getting ready for the other battles ahead, the team has to face a barrage of unnecessary questions.8221;

The basic reaction has been, it is learnt, is that of anger. The issue has not gone down well with the players, and the team seems to be all backing Dravid on this.

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Whatever the ground reality, and many experts believe that Dravid8217;s decision in staying on the safe path was anyway correct 8211; former skipper Ajit Wdekar has said so, so has Ravi Shastri.

Shastri has been quoted as saying: 8220;Dravid did not opt for it, and that, cricket-wise, might have been up to question. But in terms of a nation starved of overseas wins, it made sense. Between two goods Dravid went for the better.8221;

However Kiran More, Gundappa Viswanath and Erapalli Prasnna felt otherwise, saying they could not support Dravid8217;s decision. The general view here is that since England could not have won from that situation, India should have gone fro the jugular and enforced the follow-on.

Dravid had not enforced the follow-on despite a 319-run lead over England because he wanted to play absolutely safe. But when India got down to bat for a second time, they were quickly reduced to 11-3. That was before Dravid8217;s laborious, 96-ball 12 and Ganguly8217;s fine 57 brought the team back on track. With agency inputs