BRISBANE: The announcement was made. R Ashwin was no longer going to be an India cricketer and as the whole of India reacted to the shocking retirement, there was this stormy calm at The Gabba. The drizzle continued and the floodlights were still on as the broadcast crew worked in overdrive to safely pack their equipment before calling it a day. Both teams had left the venue, most gates were shut but there was a large goods vehicle parked close to gate No. 6.
Three stockily built gentlemen were doing the heavy lifting and loading the kitbags of Indian cricketers into the truck. It's a usual practice to send the kits and other heavy equipment before the team departs to their next destination but the cargo will now be a bag less as Ashwin's gear will be directed to Chennai instead of Melbourne.
