M.S. Dhoni has had exceptional success in his cricket career, but this tour of England has stretched and tested him to the point of breaking. His batting, wicketkeeping, and captaincy have been justly criticised. While he would have ordinarily devoted himself to the upcoming third Test, the condemnable incidents in London and Birmingham will have intruded on his thoughts.
Like his counterpart, Andrew Strauss, Dhoni said his team wasn't concerning itself with matters beyond its control. “It's sad to see this wherever you are,” said Dhoni. “But there's not much we can do as individuals or as a team. All we can do as cricketers is practise and prepare ourselves. It is important to be a hundred per cent ready.”
Dhoni said that the team had been in touch with the BCCI “through the proper channel, through the manager”, but there had been no discussions about calling off the tour.
“The concerned authorities will deal with this. We are cricketers and we don't know much about security and these things,” he said. “We will do what is in our control. We will avoid what we can avoid. We'll do our best to stay safe and secure.”
Asked if England might have left a tour of India in similar circumstances, Dhoni said, “Let's not get into controversy. Let's concentrate on the cricket.”
The Indian captain said most of the team was out shopping in the city centre, where the acts of violence were concentrated, on Monday evening. They had returned and were making plans for dinner when their security officer advised them to stay in the hotel.
“The food in the hotel was quite good, so we didn't complain,” said Dhoni before addressing cricketing matters, and the demands of a turnaround in the series.
“The mental aspect is very important. We have got into quite a few good positions in the Test matches. We have to make sure we get into similar scenarios and finish it off,” he said.
Was India at all worried about losing its No. 1 ranking, which it will if it surrenders the series by a margin of two or more? “We don't really talk about the ratings,” said Dhoni. “Like I've said in the past, no one owns the No. 1 ranking. You get there because of the cricket you have played over the last one-and-a-half, two years.
“We concentrate on our preparation and the type of cricket we play. What we want to do is play good, competitive cricket over five days, and not focus on the result.”
