London, Aug 18 : India appealed to the divinity, but even gods were unwilling to intervene to ward off the inept team's embarrassing 1-3 Test series loss to England.
Desperately seeking some luck, the Indian team put up a big poster outside The Oval dressing rooms with a quartet from Hanuman Chalisa, a hymn for Lord Hanuman.
But it didn't work and India Sunday suffered a humiliating innings and 244 runs defeat inside three days at The Oval, and lost the series 1-3. It was India's second successive innings loss in England.
On the third day Sunday, TV cameras zoomed in on the four lines from Hanuman Chalisa outside the dressing rooms, showing a desperate Indian team seeking divine intervention.
But the Indian team's fascination with Hanuman Chalisa is not new. During the 2011 World Cup, Hanuman Chalisa was recited every morning in the team's dressing room.
Ranjib Biswal, who was the team manager during the World Cup, had famously claimed that all the players are superstitious and god-fearing.
Even during the final of the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL), a CD of Hanuman Chalisa was reportedly played in Chennai at the behest of former Indian cricket board chief N. Srinivasan, who is said to be superstitious.
