Former manager takes trip down memory lane

PRESSURE lena ka nahi, pressure dena ka.

- GOMESH S

Lalchand Rajput vividly remembers the tag line. It was what the Indian team kept telling themselves during the 2007 World T20 in South Africa. The format was new, and so were most players in the team. It was unknown territory for not just the Indian team but for the sport in itself. MS Dhoni was leading the team that was without a head coach and Rajput was the manager of the side.

The young bunch of stars were a new breeze for Indian cricket and they went on to etch their name in the history books, beating Pakistan to win the trophy. "Nobody expected us and nobody knew what was happening," Rajput recalls. "So what we did was that irrespective of what the situation was, we gave them the license to play freely and express themselves. And that's what brought us the glory.