London, Aug 18: Unperturbed by the series loss to England, India’s World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni faced the media ahead of the fourth and final Test against England at The Oval with poise.
On being asked who was to blame for India’s dismal showing in the current series, Dhoni replied, “We’re not playing the blame game and we’re looking at the way forward […] Our batsmen haven’t put decent runs on the board. Hopefully, that will be done in the final Test.”
Known to approach his captaincy pragmatically, the skipper added, “It’s not about how easy or how hard things are, but we have to stick to the basics. There are things which can’t be controlled; injuries, the toss […]”
And was the team looking at this series as a wake-up call? “We are not really sleeping, so we don’t need a wake-up call. This is sport […] We’ve been outplayed […] The past two years have been great. You have to look to the future as well but at the same time what’s important is not to panic. Often the best sides or the good sides, they push the panic button too soon.”
The captain, facing his most severe test yet, went on to attribute the team’s predicament to the vagaries of sport. "This is a sport, we go through tough times. Challenges make life interesting, failures make it interesting. It wouldn’t be so if you’re only winning. Our priority is to have runs on the board.”
And will the team be playing for pride in this final Test of the series? “It’s not for the sake of pride [alone], but to prove to ourselves. Our approach won’t be one of desperation. If you’re desperate, the chances of performing are less. I don’t know about a review back home, but we’ve been giving it our best shot.”
So would the team go all out to win or instead strive to prevent another loss, and a series whitewash? “Neither”, the captain insisted. “If you look at it, [either of those approaches] are a sign of desperation and I think when you are desperate, the chances of your performing to potential are less. We won’t think about the result. We will do the small things right because ultimately those are the things that help you perform over five days of cricket. We’ll try to break the sessions, keep it simple and give it our best shot.”
“We will stick to our game plan and hopefully it'll reflect in our performance.”
Dhoni backed Virender Sehwag, who joined the beleaguered team for the third Test only to earn a king pair. “That’s the way he plays; he backs himself. Unfortunately, the shots didn’t come off there,” said the skipper.
And what were his thoughts on the England side who had displaced India to occupy the top position in Test cricket? “They’ve been playing very well. Their bowling is settled and they bat deep,” he conceded.
