The air conditioning inside the broadcaster's VIP lounge at Wankhede Stadium hummed steadily, a world away from the noise that had filled the arena two hours earlier.
Outside, the floodlights were powering down, leaving the red-soil pitch in darkness. The 33,000 fans had long since spilled onto Marine Drive, carrying the excitement of a 319-run victory and Sri Lanka's 55 all out into the Mumbai night.
Inside the green room, the rush of live television was fading, replaced by the familiar exhaustion of men who had spent much of their lives moving from one hotel to another.
The heavy, soundproofed door clicked shut. The red "ON AIR" light above it was off. Microphones were unclipped and left on a side table. The broadcast smiles and careful language disappeared with them.
Ravi Shastri walked to the mahogany wet bar in the corner of the room. He loosened his silk tie, opened the collar of his white shirt and sighed.
He picked up a bottle of single malt and poured himself a generous measure over a large block of ice.
"Anyone joining me?" Shastri asked, his voice dropping to its usual conversational rumble. "Or are we all sticking to the caffeine?"
Ricky Ponting was stretched out on a leather sofa, his legs resting on the coffee table as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I'll take a beer, Ravi. Cold as you've got."
Wasim Akram sat in a high-backed armchair, scrolling through his phone with a frown.
"Just sparkling water for me, Ravi. My blood pressure can't handle alcohol after watching what passed for fast bowling today."
Ian Bishop stood by the window, looking out over the empty stadium with a cup of black coffee in his hand. Nasser Hussain sat opposite Ponting, staring at the printed scorecard on the table.
Shastri handed Ponting a beer, took a sip of his whiskey and sat beside Nasser.
"Well," Shastri said, the ice knocking against the glass. "That was brief."
"Fifty-five all out," Ian Bishop said from the window, shaking his head. "I've seen batting collapses before, gentlemen, but that wasn't much of a contest. Sri Lanka looked beaten before they had settled. The footwork wasn't there. They were beaten in the mind before they started playing shots."
"You face Mohammed Shami with that seam standing upright on a pitch doing a bit under the lights, and you'd struggle to keep your feet moving too, Bish," Ponting said.
"Let's not talk about India yet," Nasser Hussain cut in.
His voice was tight, carrying the frustration of someone who had spent the past month defending a team he no longer knew how to defend.
He pushed the Sri Lankan scorecard away.
"Because, frankly, Sri Lanka getting bowled out for 55 is less embarrassing than what my country has produced over the last month."
The room went quiet.
The green room had one advantage over television: nobody had to pretend.
"It's an absolute disgrace," Nasser said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "I've tried to be diplomatic on air. I've talked about transition and conditions. But off the record? This has been a World Cup."
Ricky Ponting gave a dry laugh.
"The Bazball hangover, Nass. They thought they could take a Test-match approach and make it work in fifty-over cricket in India."
"It's the same thing, Ricky," Nasser said. "Look at Jos Buttler. He looks lost. The message has been to play fearless cricket. Fine. But fearless doesn't mean careless.
"You can't walk out in Lucknow on a dry pitch and try to hit Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja through the line every ball. The ball is stopping. It's turning. And our batsmen are trying to slog-sweep their way out of trouble."
Wasim put his phone down.
"They don't trust their defense, Nasser. That's the root of it.
"Look at Bairstow, Malan, Livingstone. They want to play their shots, but when the boundaries disappear, they don't seem to have another method. They need to use their feet, smother the spin, work the ball into the leg side and take the single. You still have to build an ODI innings in these conditions."
"And the bowling hasn't helped," Bishop added, walking over and taking a seat. "Mark Wood is bowling at 150, which gets everyone's attention, but he's often giving the batsman room. Woakes looks tired. Sam Curran isn't getting enough out of the pitch to trouble good players when the conditions are flat.
"They look like a side that hasn't settled on a plan for the pitches."
"Do you know what bothers me most?" Nasser asked.
He looked around the room.
"It's the lack of adjustment. Siddanth Deva exposed them in Lucknow. He left the boundary options open, tossed the ball up and invited them to hit against the field. They kept taking the bait.
"At some point you have to accept the conditions and play the situation in front of you. England kept playing the game they wanted to play."
"They won the toss today and chose to chase against Australia," Ponting said. "Then they fell apart again.
"The England white-ball side that won has run into a wall, Nass. Something has to change."
Nasser sighed and rubbed his temples.
"I know. It's painful to watch. But at least they aren't the only ones getting themselves into trouble."
He looked at Ponting.
"Let's talk about the team everyone is suddenly wary of. South Africa."
"That top order is something else," Ravi Shastri said, swirling his whiskey. "Quinton de Kock is batting with complete freedom. He is seeing the ball early. And Heinrich Klaasen..."
Shastri paused.
"Good player. The way he gets back to length and hits spin through mid-wicket is a problem for any bowler."
"Klaasen is a handful," Bishop agreed. "He picks up the length early, transfers his weight back and attacks good-length balls. If South Africa gets a platform while batting first, they can put a very big score on the board."
"If they bat first," Wasim said, pointing across the table.
"That's the question. What happens when they have to chase?"
Ponting took another sip of his beer.
"They are a different side when they're ahead in the game. If they win the toss and bat, the top order can play without much pressure. But put them under lights with a target to chase and the nerves can return.
"We saw it against the Netherlands in Dharamshala. It was cold, the ball moved a little and they were chasing a modest total. They panicked.
"Temba Bavuma's form at the top hasn't helped. If you get de Kock early in a chase, the middle order suddenly has to do more. That's when you see the hesitation. They start pushing at the ball instead of rotating the strike."
"The old question," Nasser muttered.
"The choke," Ponting said.
Wasim nodded.
"I've played against them for years. That pressure has been part of their cricket for a long time. They have explosive batsmen, but when the attack doesn't come off, they haven't always found someone to take the game deep.
"You need a batter who can walk in at 40 for 3, leave a few balls alone, take singles and stay there. South Africa don't always have that luxury."
"They'll still be in the mix," Bishop said. "But in a knockout match, if they're asked to chase against a disciplined bowling attack, it becomes a different challenge."
Ravi Shastri chuckled and looked at Ponting.
"Speaking of problems, Ricky. Your boys gave us quite a scare in the first two weeks."
Ponting didn't argue. He smiled.
"Mate, it was ugly," he said. "I was sitting in the box in Chennai watching India bowl us out of the game, then we go to Lucknow and South Africa put 311 on us and we drop five catches.
"The fielding was poor. The body language was poor. Pat Cummins looked like he was carrying the whole side, and Mitchell Starc couldn't find his rhythm."
"They looked undercooked," Nasser agreed. "I thought they might miss the semi-finals for a while."
"But that's the difference between Australia and England right now," Ponting said. "When Australia gets its back against the wall in an ICC tournament, they usually go back to basics. They scrap. They find another way."
"Zampa has been the key," Wasim said.
"In the first two matches, he was bowling too short and giving too much width. Now he's fuller. He's attacking the stumps. In India, that brings bowled and LBW into the game. He isn't trying to do too much. He's just asking the batsman questions.
"He's been very good."
"He has," Bishop agreed.
"But Ricky, we have to talk about Glenn Maxwell. That innings against the Netherlands in Delhi — a hundred in forty balls? I still don't know how you plan for that."
"You don't plan for Maxy," Ponting laughed. "You just send him out there and hope he sees enough of the ball.
"His hands, his bat swing, the way he can hit a ball outside off over fine leg — it can ruin a bowling plan in a few overs. But he's still a wildcard. You can't expect him to rescue you every time against a top attack."
"What about David Warner?" Shastri asked. "His last World Cup, and he's looked hungry."
"Davey is a street fighter," Ponting said, smiling. "He loves the big stage. If he gets through the powerplay, Australia can put a game out of reach.
"We're not the side of 2003 or 2007, but we know how to win ugly. In a tournament like this, that gets you a long way."
Wasim groaned and dropped his phone onto the table.
"Winning ugly is a luxury," he muttered. "I'd take winning ugly any day over whatever Pakistan is doing."
The room turned toward the former Pakistan fast bowler.
"It hurts to watch, Wasim," Bishop said.
"It is a mess," Wasim said, running a hand through his hair. "We're supposed to have one of the best pace attacks around. So what are we doing? Shaheen Shah Afridi is bowling in the high 130s and isn't getting much movement with the new ball.
"If Shaheen doesn't strike in the powerplay, the pressure changes."
"Haris Rauf has been expensive," Nasser said carefully. "Pace is still a weapon, but on these Indian pitches, if you bowl 150 and give the batsman width, the ball can disappear."
"Exactly."
Wasim tapped the table.
"Rauf has to find another option. You need the yorker at the death. You need the slower ball. You need to be able to change the angle and length. You can't keep bowling short and wide.
"And the spin? Shadab Khan looks short of confidence. He's dragging the ball down and missing his length. You cannot go deep in a World Cup without a spinner controlling the middle overs."
"And the captaincy?" Ravi Shastri asked.
Wasim leaned back.
"Babar Azam is a fine batsman. One of our best. But as captain, he can be too reactive. He waits for something to happen instead of trying to force it.
"When a partnership gets going, the field goes back because he wants to save the boundary. Then the batsmen take the singles. You have to keep asking questions. Bring a fielder in. Change the angle. Attack the stumps. Give yourself a chance to take a wicket."
"They still have players who can change a game," Ponting said. "Fakhar Zaman can destroy an attack on his day. Rizwan will keep fighting."
"Flashes aren't enough for a semi-final," Wasim said. "They need the plans and the execution to go with them."
"Well, if we're talking about planning and execution," Ian Bishop said, his voice lifting, "we have to talk about Afghanistan."
The mood changed.
"It is some story," Nasser said, smiling. "They beat England in Delhi. They beat Pakistan in Chennai. They beat Sri Lanka. They aren't just making up the numbers."
"It's the spin group," Bishop said, leaning forward. "Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad. They aren't just keeping the runs down. They're taking wickets through the middle overs. They seem to read these pitches better each game."
"Mujeeb with the new ball has been excellent," Ponting said. "He gives you different deliveries, keeps it flat and attacks the pads. Then Rashid comes on when the ball is older and goes after the stumps."
"But it's the batting that's surprised me," Ravi Shastri said. "In the past, Afghanistan could bowl you out and then lose wickets trying to chase too quickly. Look at Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. They're putting partnerships together. They're playing proper ODI cricket. Hashmatullah Shahidi is giving them time in the middle."
"Jonathan Trott has done a fine job," Nasser added. "He's brought some discipline to the way they play. They stay calmer now. They don't panic when they lose a wicket.
"They've become one of the sides nobody wants to face on a turning pitch."
"You know who else nobody wants to face?" Ponting asked, finishing his beer.
"New Zealand," Shastri said with a smile. "Every tournament, someone writes them off. Then they quietly end up near the top."
"They've done it without Kane Williamson for most of these games," Wasim said. "Take the captain and best batsman out of most sides and there are problems. New Zealand just move someone into the gap and carry on."
"Rachin Ravindra," Bishop said.
"What a tournament he's having. To come into a World Cup in India, bat at the top and score centuries against England and Australia says a lot. Against spin, he gets forward, waits on the ball and uses his hands well. He doesn't seem rushed."
"They're one of the most disciplined sides here," Nasser said. "Boult swings the new ball. Matt Henry hits a good length. Mitchell Santner controls the middle overs and rarely gives away an easy boundary.
"They keep doing the simple things."
Ponting leaned forward.
"But New Zealand played very well in Dharamshala. Boult got movement. Mitchell scored a hundred. They fought all the way."
He looked at Ravi Shastri.
"And they still lost."
The room went quiet.
The easy conversation had disappeared. Everyone knew who Ponting was talking about.
Ravi Shastri took another sip of whiskey.
"We have to talk about them eventually," Nasser said, glancing at the scorecard showing Sri Lanka's 55 all out.
"It's not just that India are winning," Ian Bishop said, standing and walking toward the center of the room. "It's the way they're doing it. They keep squeezing teams until there is nowhere left to go."
"The fast bowling," Wasim Akram said.
There was real respect in his voice now.
"I have never seen India hunt like this with the new ball. Jasprit Bumrah gives you nothing at one end. One run an over, sometimes less. And Mohammed Shami today..."
Wasim shook his head.
"That seam was standing up. He hits the pitch and lets the ball do the work. He isn't looking for magic swing. He just keeps hitting the right area.
"Siraj brings the energy. Bumrah gives you control. Shami gives you wickets. That's a very good attack."
"And if you survive them," Ponting said, "you get Jadeja through the middle and Kuldeep attacking the stumps. There isn't much breathing room."
"The batting isn't giving teams much either," Nasser said. "Virat Kohli is playing the anchor role well. He rotates the strike and lets the others attack. KL Rahul looks secure. Sanju Samson is opening well."
The room fell quiet again.
"We're avoiding the obvious," Ravi Shastri said, putting his glass down.
He looked at Ian Bishop.
"Bish. You had the numbers during the broadcast. Read them back to me. Just so I know I wasn't seeing things."
Bishop walked to his briefcase and pulled out a printed sheet from the Star Sports analytics team.
He returned to the table and looked down at the page.
"Gentlemen," Bishop said, "these numbers are hard to ignore.
"Siddanth Deva. Let's look at his last three innings."
The others leaned forward.
"Against New Zealand in Dharamshala. He comes in after the openers go. He scores 175."
"On a pitch that was doing a bit," Ponting said.
"Against England in Lucknow," Bishop continued. "A slow, gripping pitch. Virat Kohli made a duck. England scored 204. Siddanth Deva finished 334 not out."
Nasser closed his eyes.
"A triple century in a fifty-over match. I still look at the scorecard and think someone has made a mistake."
"And today," Bishop said, looking at the next line, "against Sri Lanka at Wankhede, he came in steadied the innings and then attacked at the end. He finished 138 not out."
Bishop lowered the sheet.
"That's 647 runs in his last three innings."
Ponting frowned.
"175 plus 334 plus 138," he said quietly. "That's 647."
"Correct," Bishop said.
"754 in all matches of the tournament, and hasn't been dismissed once in the tournament," Bishop continued. "And on the bowling side, he took three wickets today, taking his tournament total to 12."
The room went quiet.
Ricky Ponting, who had scored more than 13,000 ODI runs, stared at the floor. Wasim Akram slowly shook his head.
"You can't set a normal field for that," Ponting said at last.
"As a captain, you watch the footage and look for a way in. But what do you do with a man who's made 334? Bring the field up and he hits over you. Push it back and he takes the singles.
"And then he bowls fast, accurate seam."
"It makes captaincy very difficult," Nasser said.
"He is influencing every part of the game. Batting, bowling, even the fields. And because he keeps scoring, the pressure keeps going back onto the opposition."
"He sets traps," Wasim said. "Today he shifted the field, told Shami where to bowl, and the batsman edged it straight to the fielder.
"He's thinking two moves ahead."
Ravi Shastri picked up his whiskey and turned the glass in his hand.
"I've watched this game for fifty years," he said. "I've seen great players dominate matches. But this is a rare level of control.
"The numbers tell you how much he's scoring. The footage tells you how much influence he's having on the game."
Ian Bishop folded the sheet and placed it back in his briefcase. He went to the coffee machine and poured himself another cup.
"So," he said, leaning against the counter. "We're getting close to the business end. Let's stop talking around it.
"Can anyone actually beat them?"
The room went quiet again.
Nasser looked out at the dark Wankhede pitch.
"If it's a turning pitch in Kolkata, South Africa could make life difficult for themselves."
"But over a full 100-over match, taking ten Indian wickets and then making 350 against that bowling attack is a huge ask."
Nasser shook his head.
"It would take a lot going right for the opposition."
"Cricket is a funny game," Ricky Ponting said. "One bad hour in a knockout match can change everything. A few dropped catches, an opening spell from Boult or Starc, a batsman getting stuck on 20 off 40 balls — suddenly the game is different."
He paused and looked at his empty bottle.
"But India have given everyone else very little to work with."
Wasim nodded.
"They're playing very good cricket. Siddanth is in the middle of all of it. That's the story of this tournament so far."
Ravi Shastri raised his glass toward the center of the room.
"To the Devil," he said with a faint smile.
"To the Devil," the room echoed.
They finished their drinks in silence.
The cameras were off. The microphones were away. There was no need for the polished language they used on television.
The numbers were there in black and white.
Whatever happened next, every team left in the competition had the same problem.
They had to find a way to stop him.