Sachin Tendulkar recalls the horror of ODI World Cup 2007 exit

10 years ago on this day, Indian cricket hit the bottom of despondency. Following a shocking loss to Bangladesh in their opening game of the 2007 World Cup campaign, the fans expected the Indian team to get the better of Sri Lanka at Port of Spain in Trinidad, only to see the team being crashed to a 69-run defeat by the island neighbors.

Following the exit from the World Cup, fans moaned and groaned. The team was ridiculed, MS Dhoni’s house was pelted with stones, effigies were burnt, and it was the same team which four years ago finished second in the World Cup in South Africa.

For batting icon Sachin Tendulkar, the loss was utter disappointment, which also caused him to think about retirement.

“I would call it (March 23, 2007) one of my worst days in cricket. When you feel you win and end up losing, you are bound to feel terrible. Like the Johannesburg Test (in 1997) when we had to get South Africa out but it rained, the Barbados Test (in 1997) when I was captain and the 1996 World Cup semi-final loss to Sri Lanka.”

“There are such instances when you feel really terrible. The 2007 World Cup was obviously not good for us. We were not over-confident, but you do feel confident about India beating Bangladesh. It was one of those uncertainties of the game” recalled the master blaster.

Tendulkar further revealed that the team was in the Caribbeans for two days after their exit, but he didn’t leave his hotel room after they lost. He was in no mood for anything. He maintained that it was such a huge disappointment that he didn’t feel like doing anything. For Sachin and the team, the loss was difficult to deal with mentally, and move on to the next tournament

Sachin further said that Greg Chappell was the biggest reason behind India’s 2007 debacle. Following the shameful loss, Chappell had resigned as the coach and few months later, Rahul Dravid also gave up his captaincy.

“Anything and everything that Chappell did was was not in the right direction for the team” Sachin said.