M.S. Dhoni sauntered in with a smile, shook hands and shared a few one-liners with his counterparts Shahid Afridi, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and Kumar Sangakkara as the Asia Cup trophy was unveiled at a brief function here on Monday afternoon.
The banter was in sync with the slogan — Friendship beyond boundaries — scrawled on a banner behind the stage.
Soon platitudes were uttered as Sangakkara spoke about the tournament being important and how it would provide opportunities for youngsters. “We won the last Asia Cup thanks to Sanath Jayasuriya's freakish century and Ajantha Mendis's six for 13 spell. They are not here for this tournament and it gives an opportunity for the youngsters to perform,” Sangakkara said.
Dhoni indulged in a touch of semantics and said: “Some of us had a break but it all depends on how the match goes on Wednesday. If we win then we will be considered to be fresh, if we lose then it would mean that we are rusty!
“There has always been pressure on the Indian team, be it being an underdog or when we are expected to win the tournament.”
And then on a philosophical note he added: “I just hope the senior players, especially the bowlers don't pick up any injury. We need a back-up bowler to our senior duo of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra.”
Meanwhile, Afridi and Shakib spoke about performing well in the Asia Cup, while Asian Cricket Council's chief executive Syed Ashraful Huq, placed on record his gratitude to the four cricket boards for fine-tuning schedules and ensuring that all the teams participated.
