One of the dark days in Indian cricket: Dinesh

Wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik recalls the tough times after India’s shocking first round exit from the 2007 World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar called it one of the lowest points of his cricket career. For Rahul Dravid, it left a blot on his otherwise successful captaincy. The 2007 World Cup, which saw India being eliminated from the group stage, was definitely not a tournament for any of the players to remember.

“It was perhaps one of the dark days in Indian cricket,” recalled Dinesh Karthik, who was a member of the 2007 Cup squad.

“We knew that we hadn’t performed up to the expectations. So, we were ready for the brickbats when we took off from the West Indies. The reception was pretty hostile and I remember we all had come in different flights. Some harsh things were said and the houses of few players were stoned. It didn’t surprise us as we were expecting all that at the back of our mind,” said Dinesh.

If India’s defeat at the hands of Bangladesh in the opener was shocking, the 69-run loss against Sri Lanka came as a devastat- ing blow, knocking India out of the tournament. The video footage and photographs of the players’ shattered faces said it all. “The drive back to hotel after losing the Sri Lanka game was a quiet one. No one spoke during the long journey. We were emotionally drained,” said Dinesh.

India had warmed up well for the edition held in the Caribbean with back to back series victories against Sri Lanka and West Indies at home. “We did well in the warmup games. We bowled the West Indies out for under 100. Our preparation was pretty much on target. But, one bad day against Bangladesh hampered our progress. We were playing good cricket until then. It was a damp pitch and we lost some wickets early on. And the fact that we hadn’t played Bangladesh for some time made the contest a tricky one. We didn’t know what to expect from them. Skipper Rahul Dravid did a good thing as he didn’t change the team and backed his players in all three matches,” Dinesh added.

Dinesh said the format of the 2007 edition that saw 16 teams being divided into four groups with the two best teams from each pool moving to a ‘Super 8’ format put paid to India’s hopes. “The format was such that one bad day made it hard for us to comeback. Our third group match against Sri Lanka became a mustwin game. I am sure if the format was different we would have done far better. After the group stage, every team was playing seven matches in ‘Super 8’. It became a dull and drab World Cup because of the stupid format. Some ordinary wickets didn’t help it either. The break between games was also long. It’s good that they have a different format now. Each team gets at least five-six games, it’s brilliant,” said Dinesh, who didn’t get a chance in the middle-order packed with big names.