MS Dhoni revealed the reactions to India's 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup loss made him feel like a criminal but taught him valuable lessons and shaped his personality.
After having a good run leading up to the tournament in March 2007, Team India suffered a group stage exit in the Caribbean.
Rahul Dravid's men had a poor start to their campaign losing to Bangladesh by five wickets in Trinidad. They managed to beat minnows Bermuda by 257 runs but succumbed to another defeat to Sri Lanka in what became their last match at the quadrennial event.
Dhoni himself had a disappointing run in the tournament as he failed to trouble the scorers against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The wicketkeeper-batsman did not escape criticism after his horrid show as angry fans in the country took to the streets, violently protesting against the players.
The World Cup-winning Indian skipper, who has garnered a lot of praise for being one of the most calm and composed figures in world cricket, said the 2007 episode helped him channelise his aggression.
"When we landed in Delhi, there was a lot of media. At times, people feel that we are not emotional enough about it, but I always felt, as sports persons, you have to be strong enough to go through everything and it has to be within yourself," Dhoni was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
"It is not about coming for a press conference and crying about stuff, or crying in the field about what has happened.
"At that point of time, when we landed, we had to get out in a police van. It was evening or night time We were travelling at a decent speed - 60 or 70 kms - and that's quite a bit for India, that too on the narrow roads.
"And, you know, media cars around us with their cameras and the big lights on top, it felt as if we had committed a big crime, maybe like a murderer or terrorist or something. We were actually chased by them."
