Coach John Wright's brazen words still ring fresh in my ears. Right after the famous win at Multan against the Pakistanis in 2004, he warned us, "Enjoy this but don't celebrate too much. Keep that for the end of the series."


Coach Duncan Fletcher talks to MS Dhoni during a practice session in Southampton on Saturday. Pic/Getty Images

Beating Pakistan in a Test match was special and beating them in their own backyard after decades was even more special. Obviously then, Wright's diktat had been a slightly bitter pill to swallow. Why was he playing a spoilsport, I wondered. Well, I was new to the circuit and hence wasn't privy to the strategies of the team think.

One win not enough
When you are new you take everything match-by-match, whether it's your own performance or your team's. One solid performance with the bat and one Test win was enough to feel satisfied but that's not what Wright and Co (read the leadership group) were thinking, for the Indian team had to push the envelope a little further and go beyond winning just one Test in a series.