THE India team, back home after their inglorious World Cup exit, were given a parting shot from the ICC today, an expensive one for their captain Rahul Dravid, who was fined 10 per cent of his match fee for a slow over-rate in their final group match in Trinidad.

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India received a 69-run thrashing from Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain last Friday, following their defeat by Bangladesh, and the ICC announced that match referee Jeff Crowe had ruled India to be one over short of the overs target when time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with the ICC Code of Conduct, the players were fined five per cent of their match fees for every over short, with the captain fined double.
 
Sir Viv Richards described India’s premature exit as mind-boggling, and no doubt the broadcasters would have used stronger words for the loss of the biggest television draw card. Richards reckons India’s failure was not coach Greg Chappell’s fault -- more down to a lack of self-belief. In a syndicated Indian newspaper column he wrote: “Like many of their fans, I find India's ouster from the tournament as mind-boggling. I would not blame the team management for this debacle, but there has to be some reason why a team as supremely talented as India does not achieve more success.

“The reasons have less to do with talent and potential and more to do with mental strength. Each player, especially the experienced ones, is responsible for himself and capable of self-training and managing his mental preparation.”

Richards said that the defeat by Bangladesh was a blip, but he added: “We must also acknowledge that the Bangladeshis are a talented, fast-improving bunch. They remind me of the Sri Lankans in the late 1980s, and therefore cannot be considered pushovers.”