Dhoni refuses to blame Flecther, says players responsible

January 6, 2013

Dhoni-e

New Delhi, Jan 5: Duncan Fletcher's role may be under scanner following India's prolonged poor run of form but Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today refused to blame the coach, saying the utmost responsibility for performance lies with the players.

Dhoni was asked about the role played by Fletcher as India have lost one series after another.

"It's time that players take the responsibility. Coaches are there to guide us. If the player has problem in technique, coach can suggest. Coach cannot go to ground.

It will be wrong to blame the coach. The utmost responsibility lies with the players at the end of the day," Dhoni said at the pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow's third and final one-dayer against Pakistan.

Asked if India needs a foreign coach, Dhoni jokingly said, "I don't know. Desi aur videshi. Desi aur videshi to bas murge hote hain (Indian or foreign is meant for chicken only)."

Dhoni evaded a direct answer when asked if some new players, such as Ajinya Rahane, will be given a chance to play tomorrow since India have already lost the three-match ODI series.

"We have given chance to Bhuvaneshwar Kumar. We all know he is a good swing bowler. But we have not decided on the playing XI. Jinks (Ajinkya) has been doing well. We will feature the best side," he said.

Dhoni nor only backed the coach, he threw his weight behind his under-fire colleagues, saying that the team was not lacking in talent.

"When you lose, you feel bad. When we bat well, we don't bowl well, if we bowl well, we don't bat well. We have talent but we have to perform together," he said.

"It's important to back players. Yes, we are going through a tough period but we field the best eleven. If we go by criticism or by media, probably we would need 30-40 teams. Had I put myself under such pressure, I would have broken down by now," Dhoni said.

A section of media had claimed that Indian team members, especially the skipper and the coach, do not speak to each other much after a match but Dhoni said it's not like that.

"It's not that we are not talking. We have meetings but having 15 types of different meetings does not help."

Dhoni has been India's batting mainstay in the series against Pakistan with an unbeaten 113 in Chennai and unbeaten half-century in Kolkata.

Asked if it would weaken the Indian batting further if he sits out tomorrow due to sore back, Dhoni said, "Our batting is good but we have not performed. No individual is irreplaceable.

"The new boys are as good, it's just that they have not got enough chances. If Dinesh gets a chance, he will play as good as I played in the last two games. It's important that our top order clicks."

Dhoni hoped that the Feroze Shah Kotla wicket will behave the same in both the innings.

"It's difficult wicket. It's difficult to predict. But hopefully it will remain similar after the first half," he said.

When a Pakistani journalist asked about his viewpoint on the visiting side, Dhoni said, "They have a balanced side. They play with five bowlers. Hafeez and Malik also bowl.

They have more options and they are consistent. We have not batted well to test them."

The Indian captain said that there was not much difference in ODIs due to new rules but India were struggling due to the lack of a fifth bowler.

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June 20,2020

Dhaka, Jun 20: Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus.

The skipper had gone for a coronavirus Test last week, and now his reports have come back as positive, ESPNCricinfo reported.

As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, it is not known how Mortaza contracted the virus.

Mashrafe, also a member of the parliament from Narail 2 constituency, had stepped down as the ODI captain of the country in March this year.

Covid-19 cases have crossed 1,00,000 mark in Bangladesh and the government is now planning area-wise lockdown.

Bangladesh was slated to face Sri Lanka in July in a three-Test series and the side would have later hosted New Zealand in August, but both series look unlikely now.

The Asia Cup, scheduled for September, is also uncertain due to the coronavirus.

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June 10,2020

New Delhi, Jun 10: Former India skipper Rahul Dravid has praised the batting of MS Dhoni during the backend of a match, saying that the wicket-keeper often played during the period as if the result did not really matter to him.

Dravid also said that in pressure-cooker situations, not worrying about consequences can help players bring out the best in themselves.

"You watch MS Dhoni play during the backend of a match when he was at his best, you always felt like that he is doing something really important to him but he is playing it like the result does not really matter to him," Dravid told Sanjay Manjrekar during a videocast hosted by ESPNCricinfo.

"I think you need to have that or you need to train for it. It is a skill that I never had. The consequences of any decision mattered to me. It would be interesting to ask MS Dhoni that is this something that has come naturally to him or did he work on this during his career," he added.

Dhoni made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2004, but he truly arrived in the series against Pakistan in 2005 when he scored 148 runs in the second ODI of the six-match series at Vishakapatnam.

He is the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy). Under his leadership, India also managed to attain the number one ranking in Test cricket.

He first led an inexperienced Indian side to the T20 World Cup triumph in 2007. He then took over ODI captaincy, but he had to wait for leading the Test side as Anil Kumble was doing the duties in the longest format.

Over his career, Dhoni has been reowned for his finishing skills and he is often viewed as the best finisher that the game has ever seen.

In December 2014, Dhoni announced his retirement from the longest format of the game.

Then in 2017, Dhoni handed over the captaincy reins to Virat Kohli in the 50-over format.

Dhoni was slated to return to the cricket field on March 29 in the IPL's opening match between CSK and Mumbai Indians. However, the tournament has been suspended indefinitely as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.

Thirty-eight-year-old Dhoni has been currently enjoying some time away from the game. He last played competitive cricket during the 2019 World Cup.

Dhoni recently had to face criticism for his slow batting approach during India's matches.

Earlier this year, Dhoni did not find a place in the list of BCCI's centrally contracted players from October 2019 to September 2020.

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May 5,2020

May 5: Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar says he is interested in becoming India's bowling coach if there is an offer, asserting that he is capable of grooming "more aggressive, fast and talkative" pacers.

Akhtar expressed his willingness in an interview on social networking app 'Helo'.

Asked if he would like to be associated with the Indian bowling unit in future, he responded in the positive. India's current bowling is Bharat Arun.

"I will definitely. My job is to spread knowledge. What I have learned is knowledge and I will spread it," Akhtar said.

One of the fastest bowlers to have played the game, he added, "I will produce more aggressive, fast and more talkative bowlers than the current ones who will tell-off the batsmen in a way that you will enjoy a lot."

He said he has always wanted to share his knowledge among budding cricketers and that he is looking to produce more aggressive bowlers.

He also added that he would like to "coach" IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, for whom he has played in the cash-rich T20 league's inaugural edition.

The former pacer also spoke about his early interactions with Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar in the 1998 series.

"I had seen him but didn't know how big a name he was in India. In Chennai, I got to know that he was known as a god in India.

"Mind you, he is a very good friend of mine. In 1998, when I bowled as fast as I could, Indian public celebrated with me. I have a big fan following in India," Akhtar said.

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