Team India take a break from cricket

He just loved the fresh air, the sight of health-conscious people early in the morning, and his jog alongside the muddy Yarra river.

He just loved the fresh air, the sight of health-conscious people early in the morning, and his jog alongside the muddy Yarra river. Rahul Dravid may have been stifled at the cricket ground, but he’s most certainly enjoying the freedom this city has been giving him to be himself. This morning was rather quiet for him, as well as the team, in this very happening city.

A lot had happened at the Melbourne Cricket Ground last afternoon. And the entire team just assembled after the match to exchange a few notes in the dressing room. And they decided to end it there—as it was more like rubbing salt into their wounds. Team India are highly disappointed with themselves. In the short journey from the MCG to the team hotel, few words were spoken. And then they just retired to their own rooms.

Dravid has been the talking point in this series for a host of reasons—mostly for trying on the opener’s hat and finding that it did not really fit. The team management has been unable to explain the Virender Sehwag case and assistant coach Lalchand Rajput only ended up contradicting himself over queries about their dismal performance and their next step of action. And the players have decided it’s time for a break.

It’s part of their mental make-up that skipper Anil Kumble has been talking about. “It’s only the mental part of it which we have to sort out (for bouncing back in the Sydney Test) and we will find out ways for it,” he said. And the best way to get their focus right is to switch off for a while and ignore the bad vibes floating around since the ignominious defeat.

The team took a day off from practice, and soaked in the year-end festive spirit in the city. They ventured out for sight-seeing and also did a bit of shopping—after all, the sales are on. They posed for photographs and were ready to accept all the good wishes that came along for the rest of the tour.

They are walking around with ‘talk-anything-except-cricket’ attitude and have found a general sympathy wave here rather than acute criticism.

The team may have an optional practice session tomorrow in Sydney, but is more inclined towards going in for it seriously only in the New Year.

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Manager Chetan Chauhan, part of the think-tank on this tour, iterated that “the boys are very disappointed with their performance but they will definitely bounce back and the coaching staff and senior players are definitely getting prepared for a fightback.”

On New Year Eve though they have plans to party. A cruise and dinner hosted by an Indian family, and some will be at the Harbour Bridge to soak in the experience at midnight.

And for those who think it’s difficult to wake up the next day and hit the nets early, there is a lesson to be learnt from the Australians. For them, Boxing Day and January 2 have traditionally been synonymous with the beginning of important Test matches. The players do party together on both Christmas and New Year, but one can only assume that they have their priorities right.