Munaf Patel said it best after Wednesday’s series-clinching 46-run victory in the fourth one-dayer: “Bahut tang kiya tha Sri Lanka ne Test series mein, thoda hisaab abhi aur baaki hai (Sri Lanka gave us a lot of trouble in the Test series, we still have got a few more scores to settle).” Munaf was part of the Test squad, and he knows the extreme emotions that the team went through in the span of a fortnight.
But the young Indian one-day team have done their bit to wipe away those memories.
And while the series has been pocketed with the 3-1 scoreline, the temptation of making that 4-1 is very much on the minds of every member in the Indian dressing room. “There will be some celebrations,” said Suresh Raina, who was named Man of the Match for his solid 76 in India’s middle overs. “We always celebrate every win in style. But there’s one more match left in the series.”
The celebrations only included an impromptu jig from Irfan Pathan and soft drink cans being popped open as music blared through the window panes. There were also a fair number of happy handshakes and a few chest-thumps to go with it.
Later, they all went to a club where, fittingly, the DJ spun some Bollywood numbers.
Wednesday’s victory was a grand team effort with solid contributions from seven of the playing 11. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli played their part in putting up an impressive 258 on the board, while Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh shone under the lights with ball in hand.
... contd.