FORMER TEAM INDIA MANAGER BISWARUP DEY ROOTS FOR SHAMI AND SHIKHAR

A suited, bespectacled gentleman seated in front of a television at the Eden Gardens on Sunday saw what millions of other fans didn't: the war against Pakistan being won in the dressing room before being played out on the Adelaide pitch.

Biswarup Dey, treasurer of the Cricket Association of Bengal, had been the manager of the Indian team in Australia for the ODI tri-series and the two warm-up games preceding the World Cup, making him an integral part of the preparations for the month-long event.

As he watched the game unfold from thousands of miles away on Sunday, his mind travelled Down Under to the weeks of intense physical and mental conditioning that went into India's powerhouse performance against Pakistan.

Dey recalled how he had been 'held hostage by terrorists' during a mock exercise at an adventure sports park off Sydney and the players were asked to rescue him.

'The purpose was to increase aggression among the players. They were divided into two teams - batsmen and bowlers. They put on full military gear, including helmets, and fired at the park employees who played terrorists with rubber bullets. Those who were hit by bullets when the terrorists fired back were pretty sore and had red marks on the skin by the end of it!' Dey revealed.

The 'operation' to rescue Dey continued for three hours as he was moved from one place to another. Captain M.S. Dhoni, who led the bowlers, was able to free the manager before Virat Kohli, leading the batsmen, could get there. Dhoni, who holds a gun licence, was also the 'best shooter' in the pack, Dey said.

The captain didn't fire on Sunday but his deputy did, setting the stage for an all-win record against Pakistan in World Cup tournaments.

Metro watched the action at Adelaide with Dey for company, gaining an insight into what went into every run scored and each wicket taken by India on way to a famous victory.

Different strokes for different folks

As vice-captain Kohli and opener Shikhar Dhawan steadied the ship after Rohit Sharma's early departure, a smile spread across Dey's face. He recalled how the two had dealt with their recent lack of form in contrasting styles.

Dey said that Dhawan, known to be one of the jollier characters in the team, had sobered down and started batting longer in the nets with team director Ravi Shastri keeping watch, Kohli remained 'quietly confident'.

'Kohli had scored just about 100 runs in the last six matches but that wouldn't stop him from getting on with his life such as using the front camera of his mobile phone now and then to check how he was looking! He would skip the optional practice sessions but at the nets, he would be in the zone for 20 minutes, totally focused on the job,' the CAB official recalled.

'It's great that both approaches are working,' he said as Kohli and Dhawan took the score to 163 by the 30th over before the left-hander was run out.

According to Dey, the dressing room would have been satisfied getting to 150 by the 30th over with Suresh Raina and Ajinkya Rahane still to come. 'I am sure it's a happy dressing room now. The team management would be relaxed too,' he said.

And what about Rohit getting out to a poor shot yet again? 'Nobody will tell him anything, not Dhoni at any rate and definitely not now. Maybe a word after the match or tomorrow in the team analysis,' said the ex-manager.

Great strategy and a sloppy finish

Dey lauded the think tank's decision to promote Raina ahead of Rahane and keep the left-right combination going. Kohli and Raina put on another 100 runs after Dhawan's dismissal.

'I can picture Dhoni sitting in the box with Shastri and coach Duncan Fletcher and taking the decision. He has these brainwaves. Remember the 2011 World Cup final, where he promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh?' the former manager pointed out.

At Adelaide and some other Australian grounds, the dressing room is underground. So, the team management sits in the viewing box while most of the juniors sit in the dugout overlooking the ground.

If the middle overs produced more runs than many would have expected, the run rate slowed down during the powerplay between the 35th and 40th overs.

India scored only 25 runs in that period, taking Dey by surprise.

When twelfth man Axar Patel was seen carrying a pair of gloves towards Raina, Dey quipped: 'That's the message from the skipper to increase the run rate. I just noticed that he had come down to the dugout and was seated, all padded up, next to Axar.'

The run rate did pick up for a while but fell again, preventing India from going beyond 300. Dey felt that India's score was '20 runs short'.

How Shami got his groove back

Mohammed Shami hadn't been given the new ball in his last six ODIs and his performance wasn't great either. On Sunday, captain Dhoni handed him the Kookaburra and he was a changed bowler.

Shami bowled the quickest he has in a while and picking four wickets, including that of dangermen Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq. 'A fast bowler like Shami couldn't have been happy coming in first change. The promotion surely boosted his morale,' Dey said.

According to the former manager, the new practice of screening three-minute video clips after the team meeting ahead of matches would have helped Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma.

'We started this during the practice matches. The clips showcase the outstanding performances of some of the players. It also contains the winning moment of the last World Cup, the Dhoni six. There are two Eden connections as well - a superb performance by Shami in a Test match in India and Rohit's blistering 264.'

And then, everything fell into place

The last shred of Pakistani resistance ended when captain Misbah and Shahid Afridi were separated. Like Indian fans across the globe, Dey knew the end was near. 'It will be a relief. We haven't won anything in Australia apart from the last practice match against UAE,' the CAB official said.

Team India had reached Down Under on November 14 to play four Tests and then the tri-series in the run-up to the Cup. They lost the Test rubber 0-2 and couldn't win a single ODI game against Australia and England.

Dey had seen 'the pain of losing up close' and he knew that victory on Sunday in such a big match would be more than just another Cup hurdle crossed. 'There will be celebration in the dressing room today. You would expect Shikhar to be in his elements after his return to form and Raina as well. They are the pranksters,' he said.

The former manager said a team dinner would certainly be on the management's mind for Sunday night. 'I believe they will book tables at a restaurant of the Intercontinental Hotel, where they are staying.'

Dey himself had started celebrating right after Umesh took two wickets in the 25th over. 'If you post 300, the opposition should reach 150-odd around the 30th over by losing not more than three wickets. The Pakistanis were never in the race,' he declared.