The most endearing image in Dubai on Sunday night was not that of Shaheen Shah Afridi sprinting towards square leg in a ‘starman pose’ after dismissing each of Team India’s top three batsmen. It came in the end after Pakistan had sealed the 10-wicket romp when Virat Kohli affectionately embraced Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, grinning from ear to ear.

As Pakistan prepared for Tuesday’s showdown against New Zealand, the Indians decided to take a day off soul-searching as to what went wrong and the way forward. India play their next match, against New Zealand, on Sunday.

There was a bit of relief when Hardik Pandya’s scan report didn’t show anything serious after he was hit on the right shoulder while batting. The all-rounder hardly did anything of note during the opener, often struggling to get into line during the death overs.

Shaheen has shown that it is possible to make inroads into the much-vaunted Indian batting line-up through controlled swing and sheer pace. The way he trapped Rohit Sharma in front with an inswinging yorker and then made KL Rahul look clueless against another incoming delivery must be music to the ears of a few others.

The likes of Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, not to mention Kyle Jamieson, must be waiting to unleash some thunderbolts with memories fresh from their World Test Championship final triumph.

The Indians are not willing to read much into the defeat though the pressure is bound to tell on the players’ performance. “It’s unfortunate that we had an off day in the first match and if we play to potential we can still go till the end”, has been the common refrain among the players.

“The players looked a bit rusty. They appeared jaded and didn’t appear to be there mentally. Unfortunately they were up against a supremely charged up Pakistan team. Tackling swing at that express pace is always tough to handle,” someone who was closely associated with Team India told The Telegraph on Monday. “A week’s rest before their next match is going to do them a world of good.”

Despite several questions being raised about team selection, don’t expect too many changes against New Zealand. Kohli has already voiced his faith in Pandya at No.6 as a finisher. It’s unlikely that he will be replaced in a hurry despite not bowling an over.

It’s possible that Varun Chakravarthy will get to play at least another match before being replaced by someone like Ravichandran Ashwin. “To be fair to Varun, he bowled well in his first three overs. It was only in his last over that he took a bit of hammering,” a source said.

“The team management has full confidence in the mystery spinner. Teams other than those from the subcontinent will always face trouble against him. He has proved himself on these pitches in the IPL,” the source argued.

The only change that is likely could be benching Bhuvneshwar Kumar. It won’t come as a surprise if a third spinner — be it Ashwin or Rahul Chahar — is included in the XI on Sunday.

“There is, however, no cause for a knee-jerk reaction. The players are mature enough to realise what has gone wrong. They have the ability to bounce back. The loss to Pakistan could even be a blessing in disguise.”