Happy that Sunday night's hard work had paid off, the India players, deservedly, decided to put their feet up on Monday. While some of them chose to relax in the comfort of their rooms, others checked out the facilities at their plush Colombo hotel.
However, skipper MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh decided they wanted to spend their leisure time differently by scouring the stores and picking up items of their choice.
Around 2pm, Harbhajan, who was instrumental in mesmerising the clueless England batsmen with his off-spinners, appeared at the hotel entrance. Though he had Dhoni by his side, it was the former who was the cynosure of all eyes.
No sooner had they driven off in a luxury car did Virat and Yuvraj follow suit. Opener Gautam Gambhir also belonged to the shoppers' camp but he chose to comb the stores in the company of wife Natasha.
They made their way separately, but the converging point was ODEL --- Colombo's most famous shopping address.
Once there, the first halt for the quartet of Dhoni, Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Virat was the upscale Japanese restaurant, Nihonbashi.
{{/usCountry}}Once there, the first halt for the quartet of Dhoni, Harbhajan, Yuvraj and Virat was the upscale Japanese restaurant, Nihonbashi.
{{/usCountry}}Known for its lip-smacking menu, the India stars had their fill before they proceeded to check out what was on offer elsewhere.
While Dhoni's interest lay in the adventure sports section, the emphasis being on watches, apparels were what caught the fancy of Virat and Harbhajan. While the former checked out shorts, shirts and shoes, the latter focussed on pullovers and T-shirts.
Job done, Dhoni, Virat and Yuvraj got back to their cars, but were kept waiting by Harbhajan, who took care to choose his stuff. Probably, after his exploits on Sunday, that was his way of rewarding himself.