THE last rites had been administered by close of play on Wednesday evening. The burial took only a few minutes on Thursday.
Fittingly, it was Irfan Pathan who took the last wicket and brought to close a Test that Pakistan lost by a thumping margin as if to give the impression that it was no contest.
An innings defeat carries its own stigma. It is like a bowler being hit for a six. I think we should save the criticism for later and first and foremost give praise where it is due. This is without doubt the best Indian team ever. As one goes through the score-sheet of the Multan Test one is struck by the fact that each and every Indian player made a contribution.
The team carried no passengers. Rahul Dravid missed out as a batsman but consider the role he played as a captain. He provided the kind of leadership that moves mountains. He is not as demonstrative as Saurav Ganguly but he did not miss a trick.
Dravid's bowling changes, his field placing were spot on. He got respect from his teammates, a sign that the players are loyal to Team India and not to individuals. It is in this area that the Indian team has grown up.
India played this Test without its regular captain - Ganguly. He was present on the balcony but Dravid was his own man. In Pakistan's second innings, India was without its main strike bowler, Zaheer Khan but the others, Irfan Pathan in particular, picked up the slack and what a good job they did.
This was a team that had come with a mission and the mission was to win. It was not distracted, it remained focused. We were lulled into believing that we had the edge over them with our bowling.
India made 675 and we found fault with the curator, not with the bowling that was not sharp enough and we found fault with our fielding which continues to be poor and in this Test was even poorer.
Compare it with India's fielding. Can we claim to have a fielder even half as good as Yuvraj Singh or even with the commitment of Pathan who not only bowled like a tiger but fielded like one?
I have been too involved with Pakistan cricket and I should be used to its mood swings and I should not feel badly when the team loses. But it riles me and angers me when the team goes down without a semblance of a fight.
One didn't mind losing the Karachi ODI because the team put up one helluva fight. One cannot even give the excuse that our players are tired and if they are they must be from boredom not from playing.
The Indians came to Pakistan soon after their hectic tour of Australia. They are the ones who should be tired. What Pakistan needs is a huge leap of faith. The team needs to get together and work out how they can get out of the deep hole that they have dug for themselves. It will serve no purpose to apportion blame and find scapegoats.
It was a total team failure and every official and player must own up to his responsibility. Most of all, they must plan to win the Lahore Test which means that they have to have a strategy which includes better communication with each other.
Teams win Tests. And team means a collective effort as against the brilliance of one or two players. When a team wins, the pride must be shared equally. When it loses, the hurt too must be shared equally. And the team should see the Multan Test as a wake-up call and not as a tolling of bells. All is not lost.
