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 TWO of India’s most successful former captains, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and Bishan Singh Bedi, advised one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to toe a cautious line while passing comments on seniors.
In an interview to cricinfo.com, Dhoni took a jibe on all those critical of the selection of youngsters in the one-day tri-series in Australia. Senior cricketers Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid were left out of the ODI squad, but Dhoni said the tri-series triumph silenced those who criticised the youth-oriented team.
Ill-advised talk
“I was pretty clear about the players I wanted in the side. It’s very important as the process and timing (of selection) were criticised. Sometimes, it is very important to send the message across, as sometimes people neglect the answer,” he said in the interview.
There is a concern that such talk is ill-advised in the context that Dhoni will be sharing the dressing room with the same senior players in Test matches. Hence, there is a fear that such talk could vitiate the team atmosphere and lead to hostility towards the one-day skipper by the senior players.
Pataudi, who captained India in 40 Tests, advised Dhoni to choose his words carefully. “He is giving leeway to people who are a bit young. It is not necessary to say such things, especially in public. He should understand that with captaincy come other responsibilities. He has to choose his words carefully,” said Pataudi.
Pataudi felt the statements could be taken out of context. “His statement was against the press.”
Immaturity
Bedi, known for his tough-talking, no-nonsense approach as captain, said: “It is immature to make such a statement. Any statement that disturbs the dressing room atmosphere is avoidable. Anything that leads to suspicious frowns in the dressing room is avoidable.”
The left-arm spinner, who led India in 22 Tests, felt that the Indian cricket board should ensure such incidents don’t happen. “I don’t know what he is trying to prove by saying this. That is why the Board’s role is very important in such situations. Board officials must ensure nobody makes such irresponsible comments,” said Bedi. “But I will give him the benefit of doubt because of his immaturity.”
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