Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was at his pragmatic best on the eve of the World T20 final against Sri Lanka as he said “controversies are big part in Indian cricket” and his name was associated with almost every good or bad thing that happens in Indian cricket.
“Over the years that I have been the captain I have seen almost everything. There is nothing really that I have not seen in cricket. Controversies are big part of Indian cricket and I have been through all it. There’s hardly any good or bad in Indian cricket that happens without my name,” Dhoni replied to a question about how he has internalised the tremendous pressure associated with his job.
Just before the start of the World Twenty20, Indian cricket found itself in another controversy as BCCI President N Srinivasan was embroiled in a court case which led to his ouster and Dhoni’s name also cropped.
It was alleged that in a report that Dhoni actually lied to a probe panel when he said that Gurunath Meiyappan was mere a cricket enthusiast and was not a CSK official. BCCI, however, had sprung to his defence in the Supreme Court saying he had never said such a thing.
The skipper said that he likes to keep the pressures associated with his captaincy at the stadium only.
“I leave it (the pressure) at the stadium because that’s the best thing that I can do. We have seen Indian cricket perform at their best and at the same time we had to go through a lean patch where we had really tough times. I know there are certain things that are in my control. I look to move in that direction rather than thinking or living a thought that’s beyond my control and that really helped me.
“It’s been an interesting time, ups and downs. That’s all it’s all about – international sport it doesn’t matter which game you are playing. It has taught me a lot and it’s still a learning curve for me and hopefully it will teach me many more in coming life after cricket,” Dhoni said in a philosophical tone.