Indian wicketkeeper and one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni dismissed talk on Tuesday of a dressing-room rift over former skipper Sourav Ganguly’s omission from the upcoming triangular one-day series against Australia and Sri Lanka.
Dhoni became a hero when he led India to their first major trophy in 24 years at the Twenty20 World Cup in September, but has been touted as the man behind Ganguly’s unpopular dropping from what is a youthful limited overs team.
Speaking on Tuesday as the Indians prepared for the fourth Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, starting on Thursday, Dhoni made it clear before a press conference he didn’t want to discuss the issue.
However, he went on to dismiss suggestions of tension with Ganguly, the pair in with a strong chance to find themselves at the crease together during the fourth Test.
”I think it has affected journalists more than it has us,” he said.
”We are back in the practice session, we trained in the morning, it has not affected us anyway.”
Dhoni claimed spirits were high after the remarkable third-Test win and said the one-day selection controversy had not created any tension.
He said Ganguly was fully aware of the reasons behind his exclusion from the one-day side.
”What Anil [Kumble] has stressed is that there should be a lot of communication between us,” he said.
”If somebody hasn’t been picked for the side you have to go there and convey it to him. There shouldn’t be any gap between the player and the captain.”
Dhoni said the whole team was focused on winning the fourth Test to cap a remarkable revival since the contentious second Test.
The Indians cannot regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but Dhoni said squaring the series would be an achievement.
”We have played well and it will be a moral victory to come to Australia and not let them beat us comfortably and give them a tough fight,” he said. — Sapa-AFP