India’s defeated T20 squad returned home on Friday morning. The team, which failed to win even a single match in the Super Eight stage, wore a forlorn look as the players emerged from the Mumbai airport.
Zaheer Khan, Vinay Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohit Sharma didn’t interact with the press. However, Rohit Sharma, who exited almost an hour after his teammates, was hounded by the press, so much so that he couldn't even get to his car. The right-handed batsman offered no comments, even though he was bombarded with questions and had to rush back to the terminal to avoid the press.
The other group, comprising skipper M.S. Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Ashish Nehra, Piyush Chawla and others, landed in New Delhi. The tired-looking players took different exit gates to avoid the waiting media.
The general sentiment was that of disappointment, bordering on cynicism. Adrian D'Souza, a Mumbai businessman, said, “Its disheartening to see them back so soon. Considering the talent we have, we should have at least reached the final. Maybe playing in the IPL and going on so many tours finally took its toll. Hope they do better next time.”
Kshitij Jain, a commerce graduate from a Mumbai College, offered a more sceptical view. “Once again the Indian batsmen were found wanting against the short ball. The inadequacies in our technique were exposed and we proved once more that we are tigers at home and lambs abroad,” he
{{/usCountry}}Kshitij Jain, a commerce graduate from a Mumbai College, offered a more sceptical view. “Once again the Indian batsmen were found wanting against the short ball. The inadequacies in our technique were exposed and we proved once more that we are tigers at home and lambs abroad,” he
{{/usCountry}}said. “I don’t even want to talk about them, bunch of jokers. They are unfit and I don’t want to see them for the next few months unless they get fit. I came here just to boo them,” said Avneet, a Delhi University student, at the Delhi airport.