Clayton Murzello: MSD's antics at Wankhede deplorable

1998 India captain Mohammed Azharuddin walks into the Cooch Behar Room of the Cricket Club of India to address the media before a tour armed with a plate of sandwiches Azharuddin and coach Anshuman Gaekwad are ready to field questions but a senior news agency journalist wonrsquot have the captain of India speak to the media in between bites of his snack He suggests to Gaekwad that the captain finish his sandwich first Without any drama Azharuddin mumbles his way through yet another media conferenceCaption Cool MS Dhoni has lsquosome funrsquo with Australian journalist Sam Ferris who asked about his future in cricket PicICC2016 India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni stung by a question on his future in the game calls the reporter to where he is addressing the media after a semifinal loss in the ICC World T20 and decides to lsquohave some funrsquo with him Many in the media conference are in splits Some of the others donrsquot know how to react The above 1998 incident immediately comes to mind and I start to wonder what if Dhoni belonged to another era and did what he did to the Australian journalist with some of the finest names in Indian sports journalism I can assure you that the likes of SK Sham ATP Sarathy Rajan Bala Ron Hendricks Sharad Kotnis all deceased and Khalid Ansari still a journalist at heart would have put an end to the drama and also staged a walkoutDhoni canrsquot be icecool all the time Hersquos human What we donrsquot expect from a man of his stature is to ridicule the occasion mdash the venue from where the public your very own fans get to know what is playing out in your mind Why should a question on Dhonirsquos future be invalid And itrsquos not that Dhoni was asked the question firstup Of course what he felt about the loss to the West Indies was priority but when your farewell to international cricket is expected mdash if not imminent mdash that question will be asked at some pointClearly Dhonirsquos preparation for that question was warped and as we all know he chose the wrong guy There was a better way to answer it mdash even without being asked How about ldquoLadies and gents let me start by saying I am not quitting limited overs cricket Now letrsquos get on with this press conferencerdquo This would ensure no questions on his future and if someone still asked the media manager would have put an end to itI view Dhonirsquos March 31 lsquolaughter nightrsquo as a slur on the decorum expected of a captain Journalists are expected to maintain decorum by raising their hands to ask a question so why canrsquot players and captains indulge in some basic civility too Dhonirsquos behaviour was absolutely unbecoming of an international captain and his question to the journalist about whether he has a brother who can keep wickets was churlishWhat he did after the previous game against Bangladesh was equally ridiculous Again the question was a valid one mdash to paraphrase lsquodespite winning are you happy with the overall performancersquo Dhoni has one of the finest cricketing brains in modern times but itrsquos one thing to have a gut feeling on the field and quite another to read someonersquos mind in a press conference and tell a journalist ldquoI know you are not happy that we wonrdquoDhonirsquos postmatch antics will probably haunt him for the rest of his career and the media will not forget what he resorted to In fact all this may lead to more uncomfortable questions and he may have just created an lsquous versus themrsquo playermedia situationDhoni may be beyond advice in cricketing matters but hersquod do well to get a few tips on how to handle himself with the media It wonrsquot be too much of a task considering his interactions with the fourth estate are only restricted to either pre or postmatch media briefings mdash very much like only playing limitedovers cricket It must be remembered that even a big announcement like quitting the Test captaincy mdash during a Test series in Australia it must be stressed mdash was made through a short BCCI press release in December 2014 With that precedent the journalist who asked him how long he would be keen to continue playing was logicalIndeed Dhoni can do anything Bring along his full squad to a press conference 2009 World T20 to deny a story of a rift between him and Virender Sehwag Zip his lips tightly when asked to comment on one of the biggest controversies to hit Indian cricket 2013 spot fixing and one that involved his IPL team and has led to the suspension of his beloved franchise for two years Then virtually accuse a journalist of not wanting India to win and a few days later invite an overseas journalist for a lsquofunrsquo chat less than half an hour after a heartbreaking lossMS Dhoni the incredible allrounder for youmiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom