World Cup dreams shattered, Team India make departure plans

PORT OF SPAIN (TRINIDAD): With their World Cup dreams being razed down, the Indian cricket team was busy looking for directives from the International Cricket Council on their departure plan.

A day after the crushing loss to Sri Lanka, the Indian team stayed indoors in the team hotel with very few entertaining hopes of Bermuda upsetting Bangladesh and paving their surprise entry into Super Eight.

Technically, India can still progress to second round if Bermuda prevails but the chances are remote, even if Bermuda had scored 200 in a warm-up game against Bangladesh prior to this World Cup or beat them in a representative game a few seasons ago.

ICC is to provide Indians with their departure plans, which most expect, by Monday or the day after.

Only a couple of cricketers indeed appeared on the breakfast table.

It is learnt that within the team there was no showdown or remonstration after India had suffered the debilitating loss on Friday.

The Indian dressing room had a funeral look to it with a few players, including most senior members, crying and even captain Rahul Dravid appearing tearful.

Coach Greg Chappell, apparently, all this while kept a stoic front and same it was with Anil Kumble who hid his emotions well behind dark glasses.

Others were not so discreet and thus the Indian dressing room on Friday evening had grown up men reduced to tears.

Team manager Sanjay Jagdale's report, which he plans to submit to the Board once the team returns home next week, is being eagerly looked forward to by the Board officials who want to know the reason for India's debacle.

It is understood that coach Greg Chappell, whose tenure is unlikely to be renewed, would give a damning report on India's performance though for public appearance sake, he kept repeating that rather than any individual's failure, the team collectively shares responsibility.

Chappell believed that the team collapsed under 'the weight of expectations' which started building up soon after the team had suffered a shocking loss to Bangladesh in their group opener on March 17.

Chappell believed that the Indian players were under more pressure than any other international team members.

"I think India is definitely under more pressure because of the weight of expectations back home," said Chappell.

"It does have an effect, and I would say from the experience of the last few weeks, it definitely had its effect. Coming into the Bangladesh game, I thought the boys were a bit anxious at that stage, and the pressure built from there. That pressure had a bearing on what happened out there on Friday."

All the players, including captain Rahul Dravid and coach Chappell, are hoping that people's anger would not go out of hand in wake of India's defeat.

Cricketers are worried at reports emanating from home about angry reactions. They have learnt that a funeral of Indian cricket team was carried out in Indore and similar protests were held in Allahabad, New Delhi, Jammu and Varanasi.

Most of them, according to a team official, spent Saturday checking with their family members if everything was fine with them in India. They also have apparently cautioned their family members not to move out of home often for the next few days.

Meanwhile, all the plans of 30 Indian board officials to visit Barbados on April 10 apparently have been shelved.

Board chief Sharad Pawar was due to visit West Indies on April 20 but it is unlikely to materialise now.

It is also learnt that Dilip Vengsarkar would have arrived in the West Indies had India made it to the Super Eight stage.