Indian team comes of age with CB series win

by rab | March 6, 2008 at 11:53 am

250 views | 0 Recommendations | 0 comments

The Indian one-day team returned from the CB Series in Australia to a
rousing reception at the Delhi airport, where they were greeted by
hundreds of fans and received by officials of the Indian board and the
Delhi and District Cricket Association.
After a hard-fought series, where they won the finals 2-0, the team
reached Mumbai in the morning and took a chartered flight to Delhi for
a function at Feroz Shah Kotla.
Speaking at the function, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the team captain,
praised his side, which became the first Indian team to win a
triangular one-day series in Australia. The series was played out amid
some controversy and Dhoni made special mention of the team's
behaviour: "The conduct of my team on and off the field is responsible
for our victory."
Sachin Tendulkar, who played match-winning knocks in both the finals,
told news channel CNN-IBN that the team hadn't been distracted by the
controversies - which originated in the Sydney Test - during the tour.
"Plenty of things happened on the field, but we were focussed on the
cricket."
Rohit Sharma, who made a vital 66 in the first final, echoed
Tendulkar's sentiments. "We tried to enjoy our cricket as much as
possible," he said. "All the controversies motivated us." The BCCI had
initially planned an open-top bus parade from the airport, similar to
the welcome the team had received after winning the World Twenty20, but
decided against it later. "The players have been in Australia for more
than two-and-a-half months and will also be tired after the two
flights," BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told PTI. "That's why we
have not made any elaborate arrangements as the players will be eager
to go home."
A reward of Rs 10 crore (US$2.5 million) had already been announced for
the team.