Having avoided the media before and after the final of the Indian Premier league, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday maintained a stoic silence on the spot-fixing scandal that has, among others, also led to the arrest of CSK’s Team principal Gurunath Meiyappan.
On expected lines, BCCI issued a diktat that the journalists attending the press conference won’t be allowed to ask questions on the spot-fixing scandal, which rocked the cash-rich league leading after the arrest of three cricketers including India international S Sreesanth.
When Dhoni was asked why has he not responded as the leader of the Indian cricket team, the media manager Dr R N Baba stopped the scribe from probing the skipper further, asking him to stick to questions pertaining to Champions Trophy. The team is leaving for England later tonight for the tournament.
Dr Baba is an official of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and is also one of Srinivasan’s close aides. He has performed the duties of media manager for a major part of the last season. His son Aparajith is an U-19 India and contracted player of CSK.
Another question that was put forward to Dhoni was how difficult it will be for him and the team to instil faith in the cricket loving people that everything would be “fair” during Champions Trophy. All Dhoni could manage was a chuckle as Dr Baba again sprung into action stopping the journalist from probing further.
As far as cricketing queries were concerned, one got the routine predictable answers from the India captain -- it has been the case for the better part of the last six years.
‘Good mix in fast bowling department’
Meanwhile, Dhoni also said that the team needed to adapt quickly to the challenge of playing under the new ODI rules outside the sub-continent for the first time if they want to win the Champions Trophy.
“There are a few challenges in front of us as this is the first time we will be playing outside India, outside sub-continent after introductions of new ODI rules. There is time to prepare, we have two warm-up matches,” Dhoni told reporters at the pre-departure press conference here.
“It is a tough tournament as the top eight teams will be there and each match will be difficult. Overall, it is looking good and we have time for preparation,” said a grim-looking Dhoni.
“We have won it jointly (2002 in Sri lanka) but we have not won it outright. I think it’s a good opportunity as this is the last time the Champions Trophy may be held. It is a balanced side,” added Dhoni.
India are grouped with Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa and will begin their campaign against the Proteas at Cardiff on June 6. Dhoni said there were gaps between matches which would be beneficial for the team. “For Champions Trophy, everything looks good. We will get a lot of time after the first game we play. Even the three matches in the league stage have lot of interval between them,” he said.
Dhoni said pace-bowling department looked good and there were bowlers like Bhuvaneshwar Kumar who can do well in English conditions. “When it comes to this particular fast bowling line-up, I believe there are players who can exploit the conditions very well, somebody like Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The way he swings the ball and Umesh (Yadav) who has the pace. He has been part of the squad for quite sometime. last year he was unfit and he got fit recently.
“The pace bowling department is looking good. They just have to adjust to the new rules, the five fielders being inside, what is the length they need to bowl. How quickly they can adapt to the wicket and which are the right areas to bowl,” the captain said.
He said that the much-anticipated game against Pakistan on June 15 at Edgbaston, Birmingham would be a well contested match and hoped his side will end up victors.