M.S. Dhoni walked in with a smile, sat down and when a British journalist asked about the nature of complaint against James Anderson, the Indian skipper grinned more. “Actually I didn’t want to come, wanted to send someone else. I knew this would be the first question,” Dhoni said.
If it was construed as an evasive tactic, Dhoni had a surprise in store. He didn’t mince his words.
“Whatever we have put forward has been exactly replicated in the press release sent by the ICC. We can’t add anything to that. It’s for the ICC to decide what has to be done,”
Dhoni said. He wasn’t done with it yet and added: “We felt what happened was wrong and we decided to press charges.”
Dhoni didn’t strike a holier-than-thou posture and conceded that some players from his team too had crossed the line in the past.
“We talk a lot about the spirit of cricket. There have been a few individuals from our side too in the past, that have crossed the line. You can be aggressive, you can be vocal, but there are certain guidelines that are laid out and we should follow that,” he said.
When probed on the ‘Level 3’ offence and whether there was ‘physical abuse’ as mentioned in the clause, Dhoni replied: “Definitely, that’s what we think.”
The Indian captain made it evident that the fault lay with the opposition. “It is not something that we have done. Let’s realise the fact. Like in a press conference you can ask me tough questions. I have the right to answer them or not to answer them, but in no way can I go and touch you. Or you can come and touch me,” he said.
Dhoni also lauded Jadeja’s response. “It was good on Jadeja’s part to not really do something. It could have gone a bit far, but I felt he addressed this in the most appropriate manner. That’s something we will have to learn and move forward. Someone has to back off at the right time” the captain said.
