No pain, no gain... but this, surely, has reached ridiculous proportions. The cricketers need a break, and that — once we’re done with public felicitations and euphoric look-backs — is the main lesson that should be drawn from this rigourous three-month tour.

Ishant Sharma had to take several pain-killing injections on his injured toe, without which it had become impossible for the lanky fast bowler to take the field over the last couple of weeks. Then the blood vessels in his fingers cut open, forcing him to sit out of the second final.

Sachin Tendulkar struggled with a groin strain (he then got injured while fielding, after Mahendra Singh Dhoni deflected an edge on to his left shoulder, but we’ll keep that one aside for now).

Dhoni himself has been attacked by back spasms that make it difficult for him to breathe. And with the gloves, throughout the second final in Brisbane, he collected throws with his left hand. His right palm and fingers are all taped up with bad bruises and soft-tissue injuries.

Yuvraj Singh’s knee — the one he injured during the Champions Trophy in 2006 — has been suspect for a while now. Arguably India’s best fielder, he’s avoiding fielding at point.

Irfan Pathan has a strain in his knee and Harbhajan Singh’s fingers are hurting. And outgoing physio John Gloster has almost finished of his stock of pain-killers, creams and injections.

Dhoni spoke from his heart as he gave credit to Gregory King and Gloster, both on their last assignment with the team —“for the support they gave the team and for making the players last the entire series.” There are many in the BCCI who wouldn’t understand these subtle messages, and the Indian skipper put it in as many words for their benefit.

... contd.