Indian cricketers slink home under police escort (Roundup)

Mar 29, 2007, 13:12 GMT

New Delhi, March 29 (IANS) There were no crowds, no chants, no garlands. Vanquished Indian cricketers, who till a week ago figured among the pantheon of living gods in a cricket-obsessed nation, slunk back home early Thursday morning needing police help to get out of the airports after a forgettable World Cup campaign.

The grim-faced players took different flights from London to reach their hometowns or the nearest airport in the darkness of the night. Some of them took connecting flights upon reaching Delhi, Mumbai and Banlagore.

Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, coach Greg Chappell and team manager Sanjay Jagdale, who landed in Mumbai in a British Airways flight, were taken out of the cargo exit of the domestic terminal of the airport to avoid fans and media.

Ganguly later took a connecting flight to Kolkata.

Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah and its chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty received them. But no board official was present at the other airports where the players landed.

In Delhi, Virender Sehwag and M.S. Dhoni arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and were taken out by the police in their jeep. Sehwag was later dropped at his Najafgarh home in another Delhi Police jeep.

Captain Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Dinesh Karthick and Robin Uthappa flew straight to Bangalore, from where the police helped them reach their homes. Karthik took a connecting flight to Chennai, his home city.

While his wife Vijyeta came to receive Dravid, Uthappa's father was present at the airport to pick him up.

No players or officials spoke to the media at the airports, where tight security was seen.

India lost two of the three matches in their group to crash out in the first round itself.

The lone win came against first timers and minnows Bermuda. India's defeats came against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The next main tournament for most players will be the Twenty20 national championship matches starting April 3 at various venues.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service