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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News Network
March 12,2020

New Delhi, Mar 12: No foreign player will be available for this year's IPL till April 15 due to visa restrictions imposed by the government to contain the novel coronavirus threat, a top BCCI source told PTI on Thursday, casting fresh doubts on the fate of the event.

"The foreign players who play in the IPL come under the Business Visa category. As per the government's directive, they can't come till April 15," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

The government issued fresh advisory with a ban on all existing foreign visas, except a few categories like diplomatic and employment, till April 15 in the wake of new positive cases of novel coronavirus in the country.

India has reported 60 positive cases in the outbreak which has led to over 4,000 deaths globally.

The fate of the IPL itself will be decided on March 14 at the event's Governing Council meeting in Mumbai. "All decisions will be taken by the GC in Mumbai," the source said.

Having the IPL, starting March 29, played in empty stadiums is an option being explored.

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News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: India is not at risk of losing hosting rights for next year's Twenty20 World Cup despite its cricket board's failure to secure a tax exemption for the event, a key BCCI official has told Reuters.

Tax exemptions for International Cricket Council (ICC) events are listed as a requirement in host agreements and the BCCI was supposed to confirm they had secured one by May 18.

ESPNcricinfo, citing correspondence between the two bodies, has reported that the ICC has threatened to shift the tournament away from India over the issue.

However, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal told Reuters that would not happen and that negotiations were continuing.

"There is no risk to the tournament," he said by telephone.

"That is a work in progress. We are discussing it with the ICC and we'll resolve it."

The BCCI encountered a similar problem when it hosted the event in 2016 when the government refused to provide a tax exemption, and there has been no change in New Delhi's stance despite the board's appeals.

Failure to secure that exemption in 2016 saw the ICC withhold an equivalent sum from India's share of revenue from the governing body's grants and it appears to be taking an even harder line this time around.

"There are certain timelines within the agreements that we collectively work towards to ensure we can deliver successful world class events and continue to invest in the sport of cricket," an ICC spokesperson told Reuters.

"In addition to this the ICC Board agreed clear timelines for the resolution of the tax issues which we are guided by."

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News Network
April 5,2020

New Delhi, April 5: England batsman James Vince lashed out at people for not taking proper measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and said people are going out as if "everything is normal".

"Just seen the pictures of people out and about today as if everything is normal. What selfish people, surely by now they've realised this is serious. Well done to everyone who's doing their bit and staying in," Vince tweeted.

On March 13, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that Europe was now the 'epicentre' of the disease.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus in the UK has exceeded 4,313 with at least 708 new deaths in the last 24 hours, the largest one-day rise since the start of the outbreak as confirmed by the Department of Health and Social Care.

The total number of cases in the UK as on Saturday is 41,903, a rise of 3,735 cases in the last 24 hours.

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