Wasn’t Indian team 100% fit?
Another loss, another humiliation,
another grilling media session. The woes of Indian captain MS Dhoni seem to be
never-ending. After the third straight loss in the Super 8 game against South
Africa at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, the Indian captain looked at a loss for
words.
Was he tired personally, as wicketkeeping takes a heavy toll along with the
captaincy? ‘‘I never thought I was too tired. I was going to the nets each and
every day. I was doing whatever drills were given to me.’’
Skipper booed
While the Indian public were present in large numbers in the ground even for an
inconsequential game, they also booed the Indian team and its captain after the
defeat. What did Dhoni, known to treat success and defeat with equanimity think
about all this?
‘‘It’s not the first time its happening to me or the Indian cricket team. Hamara
toh antim sanskar bhi ho gaya tha after the 2007 World Cup (They had even
conducted our last rites after the 2007 World Cup). It happened when we were
playing a Test match against England (in Mumbai) too. There’s no use feeling
bad about it. It shows the level of expectations people have from us. If they did
not boo us, we would have thought there is something unusual,’’ he explained.
‘‘In four-and-a-half years, I have seen a lot. From being out of form to
getting booed to crashing out of the 2007 World Cup to winning the World
Twenty20, to winning the One-day series in Australia and Sri Lanka and now
this. It’s getting more demanding mentally. I cannot stop anyone from saying
anything. It is an uncontrollable. But I am really happy to play cricket for
India even if I get booed or something bad happens.’’
At times you have to hide things: Dhoni on Viru’s injury
The mystery over Virender Sehwag’s injury just refuses to die down even after
India’s campaign in England has ended. The media wanted to know what the levels
of transparency are in the team when it comes to disclosing injuries. Dhoni
finally came clear on the issue. ‘‘When the first MRI was done in India, it did
not show anything. When the next MRI was done here, it showed he had a tear. At
times, you cannot say everything because you want the opposition team to think
of Sehwag, whether he is playing or not. I prefer announcing the team one hour
before the game. At times you have to hide things.’’
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