Originally Posted by J Square
...Ithokke ullathaano entho.....
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/20357033.cms
When is the 'right time', Mr Dhoni?
NEW DELHI: MS Dhoni continued to dodge the spot-fixing issue in Birmingham on Thursday, raising some disturbing questions on whether the captain was too compromised to even comment on a corruption scandal which threatens to destabilize Indian cricket.
"When the right time comes, I'll answer," was all Dhoni, one of the most powerful figures in the game and a leader of the national team's fortunes, could say.
In doing so, he came across as just another example of the deep-rooted conflict of interest which threatens to derail our favourite sport. Dhoni is, after all, a vice-president at India Cements, the company owned by under-fire BCCI president N Srinivasan.
Srinivasan also owns Chennai Super Kings, the IPL team led by Dhoni whose erstwhile team principal, now in police custody for betting on matches, is Srinivasan's son-in-law.
It seems it is a connection which has now reduced the Indian captain to a puppet on a string, with the inability to speak out even on the need to restore the game's credibility in the hour of its gravest crisis.
Dhoni stuck to his ostrich approach in Birmingham, refusing to answer anything but the most inane of questions.
Asked if he thought Indian cricket's reputation had suffered, he merely said, "It's not that the reputation is gone.
I'd love to elaborate but at the right time, I'll do it." Dhoni should know that in cricket, timing is everything. Sourav Ganguly is remembered as one of India's finest captains not only because of the wins under his belt but by the way he laid the foundation for a new Team India after the first match-fixing scandal exploded in 2000.
Ganguly, unlike Dhoni, didn't do it by keeping mum, diplomatically stressing on the need to be honest to oneself. Dhoni seems afraid to say anything at all, even tokenisms, as if frozen by the implications.
The best that the media got out of Dhoni was a smirk when asked about the issue prior to the team's departure for England. In contrast, Ganguly didn't duck the issue more than a decade earlier as he got ready to lead India in the Asia Cup after Mohammad Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were found guilty of involvement in match fixing.
Dhoni, in his defence, suggested that by shying away from the issue he was protecting the team. "I just want to keep our side away from everything as of now," he said.
Dhoni on fixing
"It's not that the reputation is gone. When the right time comes I'll answer, but as of now I don't think we have lost reputation"
"Throughout the world or in any sport, you'll have people who will be slightly mentally weak compared to some of the others"
"When the time comes I'll answer. I just want to keep our side away from everything as of now"
Ganguly on match-fixing in 2000
"I don't know about other teams, but our players won't get affected by the unsubstantiated allegations"
"Whatever any person may say, I personally feel that the most important thing is to be honest to your ownself. If you are honest to your own conscience, no allegation would be able to touch you. In the field we should only concentrate on cricket"
"We can't help it. The only way to tackle this is by performing one's duties and not listening to allegations"
