JOIN USIt was an irony of sorts for West Indies great Brian Lara who arrived here this morning to grace the last two days of the India-West Indies first Test but only to find that both teams had packed up with the match folding inside three days.
"I always thought we (the Windies) would fight back. It's really disappointing to see the way they collapsed. Never thought it would get over by the third day..." Lara said after his arrival this morning.
Here on an invitation from the Cricket Association of Bengal, Lara was to felicitate Tendulkar in his last outing at the Eden but debutant Mohammad Shami had other plans. His devasting spell of reverse swing blew the West Indies batting away in the second innings as the latter crashed to a humiliating innings and 51 runs defeat.
Disappointed not to see Tendulkar in action, Lara said, "Hope the match lasts for five days in Mumbai and I would see Tendulkar bat for one last time."
Lara is expected to leave for Mumbai tomorrow. Meanwhile, both the teams excluding Sachin
Tendulkar, who was the first to leave last evening, left for Mumbai this afternoon to play the second and final Test at the Wankhede from November 14-20.