Dharamsala - Australian skipper Steve Smith revealed on
Friday his team held a relaxing session with the Dalai Lama where they learnt
about keeping their cool, just a day ahead of the high-pressure series decider
against India.
Smith has been in the centre of a controversy after his
opposite number Virat Kohli accused him of systematically abusing the Decision
Review System during the second Test in Bangalore.
The Aussie captain has admitted breaching the DRS rules by looking up to his own dressing-room to seek advice over whether to review an lbw dismissal, but he insists it was a one-off "brain-fade".
The verbal volleys have continued unabated with each side hurling
accusations at each other through the bitterly fought series, tantalisingly
poised 1-1 ahead of the finale in Dharamsala beginning Saturday.
The stakes could not be higher for Smith's men as they seek
to win their first Test series in India in 13 years despite starting as
underdogs.
With emotions running high, the Australian team headed out
for a private meeting on Friday morning with the Dalai Lama who has lived in exile
for over half a century in McLeodganj, a suburb of Dharamsala nestled in the Himalayas.
"I asked him a question about sleeping and how he could
help me and he gave me his blessings," Smith said at a news conference.
"We rubbed our noses together. Hopefully it will help
me with my sleep over the next five days!"
On a more serious note, Smith said the team learnt all about
kindness and compassion.
"It probably relaxes us a little bit. He (Dalai Lama)
is all about compassion and oneness for each and every human being. It was
great to hear something like that from someone as prestigious as the Dalai
Lama.
"It was a great experience for all of us. I guess the
one thing that we can learn from it, it's that sometimes we get over the top
when we are out there playing cricket.
"It's a tough game but at the end of the day it's just a game and you need to realise that at times. I guess that is something this team can take from meeting the Dalai Lama."