India, Sept. 23 -- Nihal Sarin looked devastated at the board on Monday. He blundered his queen from a winning position, which led to a 1.5-2.5 loss to Uzbekistan. It was India's first defeat in a team event since 2022.

Hosts Uzbekistan took the sole lead following the win.

When the Indian team sat down to pick its Player of the Day on Monday night, the choice was unanimous: Nihal.

The Player of the Day ritual is one that the Indian team has been following since the 2024 Olympiad, where every day team members pick the player whose contribution they believe stood out. Usually, the honour might naturally follow a win. On Monday, it went to the player who had lost.

India coach Srinath Narayanan explained why in an X post on Tuesday.

"Wh...