Mahi way

Chennai: M.S. Dhoni’s press conference is a rare occasion in Indian cricket. Appearing in his first promotional event since the return of Chennai Super Kings from a two-year suspension, Dhoni’s 30-minute media interaction was marked by candid answers.

A question on India’s disappointing Test defeats in South Africa was almost shot down by the moderator, but Dhoni preferred to answer. “Look at the positives,” he said.

The former India skipper suggested that India would start winning Tests abroad once batsmen put runs on the board. “To win a Test, we need 20 wickets, regardless of whether you are playing at home or away. We have taken 20 wickets (in both Tests in SA). If you can’t take 20 wickets, what’s the next thing? You try to force a draw. You can draw a Test by giving fewer runs and by scoring more runs. The biggest positive is we are taking 20 wickets which means we are always in a position to win a Test. Once you start scoring runs, you are there,” added Dhoni.

‘Can’t think of playing for other IPL teams’

Dhoni said other franchises approached him after the conclusion of IPL-10, but he never wanted to play for anyone else when CSK were back. “I can’t think of not coming back to CSK. It’s because of what we have been as a team, how we have conducted ourselves, how the management has been, how the players have been, how the fans have been... I always keep saying ‘it’s like a second home to me’. The fans over here have adopted me; they accept me like one of their own. So that thought of being with any other franchisee was never a question,” Dhoni said.

‘Players were not involved in anything’

Speaking about the IPL betting controversy that led to the suspension of Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni said the fan base grew stronger in their two-year absence because “none of the players was involved in anything.”

“It did hurt us, because we were not part of IPL for two seasons. Often when some mistake is done, people bear the brunt and here the team had to bear brunt of whatever happened. But the players were cleared of all the controversies. We are back to play cricket now. The fact that we sold off all endorsement deals even before the retentions were announced underlines CSK’s brand value. It’s a true reflection of the confidence the brands have in CSK as a franchise,” said Dhoni.

Despite controversies Dhoni never tried to distance himself from the CSK management. “When the IPL began, I had no clue which franchise I would play for. From there till the last match with CSK, our relationship grew stronger. Cricket is nothing new for the CSK owners. It becomes difficult for a captain, when you have to explain everything (to owners). So when we lose, they already know the reasons why we lost because they understand the game. So there is less pressure on you. Everything else takes a backseat,” he added.

Non-committal about buying Ashwin back

Dhoni said it would be an uphill task when the new season begins. “The biggest challenge will be to start from scratch. There is a fresh auction coming up. By retaining three players — Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina and myself — CSK have covered a lot of areas. We may desperately need someone, but if his price goes beyond a certain figure, I don’t think we can afford it. So we have to keep the emotions aside and let him go,” said Dhoni.

As CSK haven’t retained local star R. Ashwin, Dhoni said the team would try to snap up the off-spinner at the auction. “It’s a tough call. We want a lot of local players in the side. We have two Right To Match cards, but we can’t use that for Ashwin because we have already completed the quota of three Indian players. We have to buy him out in the auction. How much money we can afford to go for each individual and still make a strong team will be the key,” added Dhoni.

‘Cricket doesn’t require perfection’

Some of the stumping Dhoni pulled off in the last few years were spectacular. Dhoni said the secret behind the success is his unorthodox keeping style. “Stephen Fleming always says that he has never seen me keep wickets in net sessions in his nine years of IPL coaching. I think a lot of it needs to be done in the mind. I have seen over exaggeration from some keepers; they start going on the floor, ‘very frog style’ of keeping and ‘jaw is parallel to the floor’… You don’t want a very good keeper (technically sound) who is not consistent. Let’s be practical.

Cricket is about taking wickets, scoring runs and taking catches. People say when you go through a rough patch, your sound technique will help you get back into form. At the same time, you have to adapt and know your limitations which is more important than striving to achieve perfection. It may not work for everyone, but it has worked for me. Cricket is the only game where there is no need for perfection,” said Dhoni.