Perth, Jan 12: India captain MS Dhoni has rubbished reports of a rift in the Indian team ahead of the third Test at the WACA.
"I have never seen the Indian team fight. And this is one thing we are really proud of. Our real strength is that we love each other and enjoy each other's successes. I am really proud of our dressing-room atmosphere," he said dispelling all rumours of turmoil within the team.
The ODI World Cup-winning captain, who has come in for criticism for some of his decisions in the losses at Melbourne and Sydney, defended his captaincy saying, “It's easier to comment from [the] outside. We have to take the criticism in our stride. It's not always about taking the best decisions, but taking [the] right decisions. I might get it wrong sometimes.”
India’s string of six successive overseas Test defeats may be a downer but Dhoni preferred to look ahead. “We want to get back in the series as there are two more matches to go. We need to look at areas where [we] can improve further. We have learnt a lot from the England series. We are hoping for the best in the remaining matches.”
Having lost the Sydney Test by a big margin (an innings and 68 runs), the Indian team has received flak for lacking the winning spirit. The visitors have also come under fire for skipping practice sessions. Dhoni defended his side from undue criticism saying, “It's not true. It hurts when you lose. But you don't want to sit in a chair and cry for hours. We are grown-up boys who want to fight and improve.
“Our practice sessions are long. We are one side that spends close to four hours practicing [every day]. […] Recreational activities give rest to the players,” MSD said.
Trailing the hosts 0-2, India still have a chance to square the series by winning the last two Tests and thus retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Australia last won the trophy after the four-match Test series in 2007-’08.
Dhoni struck an optimistic note in this regard saying, “India's preparations are good. Hopefully it will reflect on the field. We are ready for the Test match.”
