India go easy on celebrations

When Suresh Raina scored the winning runs a six over long-on there was no mad scrabble out to the middle from the Indian dressing room.

When Suresh Raina scored the winning runs a six over long-on there was no mad scrabble out to the middle from the Indian dressing room. VVS Laxman had scored a match-winning unbeaten 103,but it was as if many in the Indian side expected him to pull it off.

Rahul Dravid,with whom Laxman has switched great partnerships in the past,clapped his way to the middle. There were handshakes all around. The celebrations werent wild. India had pulled off a great win,but it seemed like this No.1 side would rather cherish the victory over time rather than celebrate in a flash.

When the presentation ceremony started,the Indian players walked out one-by-one. Once the formalities were completed,the keys to a brand new car were handed over to the man-of-the-series Virender Sehwag. Laxman made his way back to the dressing room to get his back treated. He made it a point to shake hands with everyone who congratulated him. Tendulkar was hounded with interview requests,while Dravid soaked himself in the moment.

Out in the middle,Sehwag was at the wheel of the car doing a quick and short victory round. The players soon retreated into the dressing room. They then emerged at the team hotel. Laxman addressed the media,while the rest signed autographs. There was no over-the-top victory celebrations. Everything,which followed this win,was done in a calm and collected manner,much like the way the Indian innings panned out on the fifth day of this Test.

The champagne glasses on offer at the hotel reception were left untouched as the players were keen to make their way to their rooms. There was a team party in the evening and everyone,including those who had joined the one-day squad were invited.

Sehwag did a mock media interaction before Sachin Tendulkar was scheduled to arrive. Team India bowling coach Eric Simmons asked Sehwag who was Laxmans runner about the advice he was seen giving to the senior batsmen when he was on 94. I told him to hit a six, Sehwag said in a lighter vein.

A short while later,Tendulkar arrived and said that it was too far-fetched to be thinking of 200 Test matches,even as the young upstarts made their way to the party.