Man of the Match Mahendra Singh Dhoni returned to the dressing room with a bottle of champagne but this wasn't the day. To be sure, there were smiles after the first win of the tour but celebrations were the last thing on the Indian cricketers' minds. They had heard about the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus and injuries to the players during the game but now the reality was sinking in. And the first thought to flash across was: "It could well have been us."
Bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad had a harried look. "It's less about feeling lucky that we didn't tour Pakistan but what really concerns me is that cricketers have been attacked. Even when we were in Sri Lanka, it was tense there. Things are getting really tough," he said.
With the initial reports sketchy, the Indians were keen on updates. Irfan Pathan checked if there was any information about his King's XI Punjab team mate from the Indian Premier League, Mahela Jayawardene. He had heard that the Lankan captain was injured and looked relieved when told about the evacuation of the players from the Gaddafi Stadium.
Rohit Sharma got an "all-well" message from his Deccan Chargers team mate Chaminda Vaas. Outside the dressing room, there was another huddle involving actor Preity Zinta, coach Gary Kirsten and Yuvraj Singh. "The problem is they've to be lucky just one time while we've to be lucky all the time," she said as Kirsten and Singh nodded.
At the press conference, Dhoni spoke about the fears. "People say sport is not targeted but you are not immune to it. Once a guy decides he has to attack, we are not tough targets. Cricketers roam about freely on tours, so you have to be cautious," he said.
In the commentary box, when Ravi Shastri broke the news, former New Zealand opener Mark Richardson was reminded of the trauma he'd suffered six years when the hotel he and his team mates were staying in was bombed in Karachi.
"It was difficult to get through the work today, because you don't want this sort of thing happening to players you have played against," he said.
Richardson's team mate on that tour, Chris Harris, said he got a shiver down his spine when he heard about what had happened in Lahore. "It's devastating. Cricket in Pakistan was starting after a really long time but it's not pretty hard to guess what will be the future of international cricket there," he said.
Recalling 2002 Karachi blast
Remembering the 2002 incident, Richardson said, "We were finishing our breakfast and getting ready to leave for the ground when this almighty blast happened. It lasted for a number of seconds, and then it all went quiet. We marched towards the car park. The worst part was waiting there and not knowing what to do next."
Harris, too, has harrowing memories of that day. "It wasn't a very nice feeling. There was chaos all around. After things settled, there was a meeting and it was decided that we'd head home," he said. Both said that the family and friends had the toughest time dealing with such a situation. "It was an anxious time, and the only time I got emotional was when I managed to get through to my parents and told them about the blast and that I was safe," said Richardson.
Harris said it was best in such a situation to call home at the earliest. "My thoughts go out to the friends and family of the Sri Lankan players. Just after the blast, I called my family and told them what'd happened. It's better if they hear such news from you," he said. Harris added that the Lahore attack was more serious since the Sri Lankan cricketers had been specifically targeted.
Meanwhile, Richardson sees no future for international cricket in Pakistan. "You could play at stadiums in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, but nobody is likely to tour Pakistan."
