1. We decided to not win this, since it means more for Afridi and his dedication to people in Pakistan. We want to contribute to improve Indo/Pak relations.

2. We are touring West Indies next, and they are already there preparing after losing yesterday. We need to get into preparation mode soon too!

3. We cannot afford to let a player like Ricky Ponting lose so ignominiously. All of us have a longer career here and can win later.

4. Don’t blame me for the loss. I was forced to drop Chawla. See how will he did in the warm-up game against Australia.

5. We wanted to avoid security problems at the ground by playing Pakistan. Now that we are not there, you will hardly have crowds at the stadium. We have the larger interests of the country at heart. Didn’t I tell you we were playing for the country and not the crowds?

6. Yuvraj, and not me, is in the running for the Player of the Tournament. He was in the team as a batsman, but I made the mistake of making him bowl too. I take full responsibility for the defeat.

7. We wanted to keep the “host nation not winning world cup” tradition going.

8. We wanted to keep our no loss records against Pakistan in World Cup games to be intact

9. I broke my finger when batting, and what is the point of playing the next game without a wicket-keeper? Please blame the selectors, not me!

10. Sachin has announced he will continue till the next World Cup. We can win it for him later.