However, the country’s cricket board has said that bowler Dilhara Fernado was approached by a bookie, and that the incident was reported to the International Cricket Council.

A UK tabloid -the Daily Mail- said on Friday that Dilshan was reported by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board last year to the International Cricket Council (ICC), after he was spotted with a suspected bookie at a London nightclub.

According to the Daily Mail, the Sri Lankan team manager alerted authorities after captain Kumar Sangakkara shared that team members had said they’d seen Dilshan with the bookie during the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June last year.

“The Sri Lankans followed the ICC’s protocol to the letter, reporting the alleged incident as soon as it was made known to the team management,” the Daily Mail report said.

Denying the tabloid’s article, Sri Lanka Cricket spokesman Brian Thomas described it “character assassination.”

Speaking to NDTV, the Chief Executive Officer of the Sri Lankan board, Ajith Jayasekara, also denied that Dilshan had ever been a suspect. He revealed the information about Fernando being approached by a bookie.

Sri Lankan Captain Kumar Sangakkara said Fernando “should be applauded for following the rules” and alerting the Sri Lanka authorities, who, in turn, shared the information with the ICC. (Read: No Lankan player under scanner: Sangakkara)

“In May 2009, the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unit travelled to Sri Lanka to interview Sri Lanka’s cricketers with regard to the Lahore terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus. During their visit to Sri Lanka, Dilhara Fernando voluntarily reported a suspicious approach to the team management and it was immediately referred to the ICC Anti Corruption Unit who in turned carried out a regulation interview with Dilhara…we can confirm that no further information has been provided to us with regard to this incident or player that necessitates any action or raises any concern,” said the Sri Lankan board in a press statement.

Cricket has been in a state of emergency since last month, when another UK tabloid, the News of the World, front-paged a hidden camera report that showed a UK businessman, Mazhar Majeed, offering ‘spot-fixing’ to an undercover reporter.

In exchange for 150,000 pounds, Majeed said that three no-balls would be delivered by the Pakistani team at pre-determined moments in the Test against England at Lord’s. He was right.

Since then, Pakistani captain Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Amir, and Wahab Riaz are being scrutinized for allegations of match-fixing. The UK police, Pakistan’s National Investigating Agency, and the ICC are all conducting inquiries into the corruption that has crisscrossed tournaments and countries.

Sources say that in the next few weeks, another three Pakistan cricketers will be questioned about corruption. Majeed had claimed that in all, seven Pakistani cricketers were collaborating with him.

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Reports here said the struggling South Africa-born star, who began his first class career with the Durban outfit 13 years ago, hopes to play two SuperSport Series national four-day championship matches.

Pietersen has reportedly received clearance from the England and Wales Cricket Board but needs a ‘green light’ from Cricket South Africa, who must authorise international players appearing for local franchises.

The batsman is experiencing a difficult time on and off the pitch with a solitary half century for England this season and his last ton came against the West Indies more than a year ago.

England selectors axed him from the Twenty20 and one-day series against Pakistan this month, claiming he needed to play as much cricket as possible ahead of the showdown with Australia.

Pietersen was fined an undisclosed fee after posting a message on Twitter, including an expletive, revealing he had been dropped for the T20 and ODI series before it was officially announced.

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“All these stories going around about Dilshan are absolutely baseless. No Sri Lankan player to my knowledge is in suspicion of fraternising with these so called bookies by their team-mates nor by team management and Sri Lanka Cricket Board. As far as I know there was no report to SLC or ICC’s Anti-corruption Unit,” Sangakkara said.

According to British tabloid ‘Daily Mail’, Sri Lankan team manager filed a report to ICC’s ACSU after Sangakkara informed him about suspicions among team-mates that Dilshan had been seen with the bookie during the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June last year.

Sangakkara denied it and said he had never passed on information of any suspicious activity by any of his team-mates to the management.

“I have never reported against any player specifically. All the players are very open in communicating with me and team management. No one including me have voiced our suspicion over any of our team-mates at any time nor reported specifically to the team manager or SLC,” he asserted.

“If there is any report of any suspicion on any player, then it is better to ask the SLC and the team management about that but as far as I know ,there is no such thing,” he told ‘Times Now’.

Sangakkara also ruled out any Sri Lankan player intentionally mixing up with illegal bookmakers.

“Any of the players upto my knowledge have not fraternised with any of these shady characters. The only thing is you never know who is sitting at the chair next to you or who is taking photograph with you at a hotel or somewhere,” he said.

SLC Chief Executive Ajith Jayasekara also dismissed reports of Dilshan being under ICC scanner.

“We don’t go by speculation or what any newspaper wants to say. We don’t want to go by such reports. The Anti corruption Unit of the ICC has not reported any such involvement of any player. We cant go by speculation. This has not been brought to our notice by the anti-corruption unit of the ICC. There is no evidence against any Sri Lankan player,” Jayasekara told PTI.

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Dilshan under ICC scanner

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In a shocking turn of events, top Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has turned out to be the leading Sri Lankan cricketer the ICC’s Anti-corruption and Security Unit has been monitoring for alleged links with a bookmaker.

The ‘Daily Mail’ claimed that Dilshan was the player named in a Sri Lankan Cricket Board report to ICC’s ACSU last year after he was allegedly spotted with a suspected illegal bookmaker in a London nightclub.

The report was filed by the Sri Lankan team manager after captain Kumar Sangakkara passed on suspicions among team-mates that Dilshan had been seen with the bookie during Twenty20 World Cup in England in June last year, the newspaper claimed.

“The player concerned has been under the ICC’s scanner since the Twenty20 World Cup in England in 2009,” it said.

Sri Lanka Cricket had reportedly kept the entire matter away from the public spotlight though Dilshan has been investigated by Sri Lankan police. No charges though was laid on Dilshan by the Sri Lankan police.

“There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the part of Dilshan. The Sri Lankans followed the ICC’s protocol to the letter, reporting the alleged incident as soon as it was made known to the team management,” the ‘Daily Mail’ report said.

A Sri Lanka team spokesman, however, denied any player having connection with bookies.

“He has done nothing wrong. There is no evidence against any of the Sri Lankan players. None of them are guilty. These allegations are being drummed up by unscrupulous elements who are trying to upset Sri Lanka’s plans for the (2011) World Cup,” the spokesman was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

The revelation of alleged connection of bookies with a high-profile player came at a time world cricket has been engulfed with ‘spot-fixing’ scandal involving three Pakistanis.

Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir were suspended by the ICC and interrogated by Scotland Yard after a British tabloid claimed in a sting operation that they took bribe from a bookie to bowl deliberate no-balls during a Test match against England at Lord’s two weeks ago.

Sri Lanka Cricket spokesman Brian Thomas said in Colombo that there was no allegations against Dilshan and termed the media reports as “character assassination”.

“A far as we are concerned, there is no allegations against Dilshan. If there were allegations, by now the ICC would have informed us and a proper inquiry would have been held. As far as Sri Lanka Cricket is concerned, can I call it character assassination. We know our players are innocent,” Thomas said.

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“The passion doesn’t disappear. You know it is as strong and above all I respect cricket. It doesn’t matter where I play. I will always play to the best of my ability, because I care about playing cricket …good, quality cricket. I always wanted to go out and compete hard,” the Mumbai Indians skipper said ahead of the Champions League Twenty20 match against Highveld Lions.

“Playing for Mumbai has always meant special for me and playing for India also has been extremely special. It was a dream and I am living that dream…and when Mumbai and India are combined together it becomes Mumbai Indians,” he added.

Talking about the disappointment of losing the IPL final to Chennai Super Kings after being almost unbeatable in the league stages, Tendulkar said, “You know I was determined like every other time I was determined. My preparations were exactly the same.

“Sometimes you score runs sometimes you don’t but I can assure you the efforts put in was always the same,” he added.

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Alviro Petersen, Neil McKenzie and Vaughan van Jarsveld are all I can make out of the Lions, opponents of the Mumbai Indians in the Champions League opener on Friday.

But by the end of September, you could have a few stars in the making. These young men have the example of Kieron Pollard to follow.
Pollard was a little-known entity before the inaugural Champions League catapulted him to the centrestage. So much so, he ended up being the highest-paid cricketer in the last IPL.

Fame, name, glamour and glitz are now part of him in Trinidad, his home in the Caribbean. This is the pull of cricket’s uniquely global showpiece.

The Mumbai Indians look great on paper but then we know reputations count for little in T20. Remember how Trinidad and Tobago scythed through the competition last year even though they weren’t bursting with big names.

The challenge for the Mumbai Indians, as indeed for the two other Indian teams, would be to acclimatize in the cold South African climate.

At this time of the year, there is uncommon assistance for the faster bowlers. The wickets will be damp and conditions heavy and it isn’t going to get better under lights. It can be a great learning opportunity for young guns like Shikhar Dhawan and Saurabh Tiwary.

For regulars like Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, it will be a pre-cursor to their tour to South Africa in December with the India team. Zaheer’s return is keenly awaited. He has suffered due to injury in recent months. His fitness is now critical in the lead-up to the World Cup for India’s prospects.

The Mumbai Indians also have the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their group and it would be great to see two legends, Tendulkar and Anil Kumble, cross each other’s path again.

IPL winners Chennai Super Kings are in the other group but there are no easy pickings for them. Of all the venues, Port Elizabeth could be the least testing. But not so with Centurion and Johannesburg, both situated on the higher northern altitude, and Durban, where the breeze can make the soil beneath Kingsmead juicy under lights.

Good batting performances will be at a premium. It’s a challenge that will certainly stir the spirit of a certain Sachin Tendulkar!
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After steamrolling them in both the T20s, England will look to continue their dominance with another stellar performance against an already embattled Pakistan team. England’s confidence will be sky high and they will surely go into the match as favourites, considering both teams’ recent on-field form and off-field events.

Pakistan’s captain Shahid Afridi has admitted that the morale in the dressing room is quite low in light of the spot-fixing allegations that continue to hound the 1992 World Cup winners. Afridi called for focus and was sure that once they have a victory under their belt, the squad’s confidence would be back. How they will manage to draw inspiration and record a victory against the high flying Englishmen though, is anyone’s guess.

Squads

The suspension of the three tainted Pakistan cricketers, who would have otherwise formed the core of the team, has lead to the call up of Asad Shafiq, who played his only ODI against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup earlier this year and Mohammad Irfan, a towering 7 foot left arm pacer, who will be making his debut. Pakistan will benefit from Mohammad Yousuf’s presence and will look forward to making use of the player’s experience while batting. The prolific batsmen will be depended upon to guide the youngsters and play an anchoring role in the middle. Even with the exclusion of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, Pakistan have a dependable attack. With the likes of Shoaib Akthar, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Afridi and newcomer Irfan, Pakistan will want their bowlers to reduce the pressure on their batsmen.

The ODIs see the return of captain Andrew Strauss, who would have been ecstatic with England’s show in the T20s and will have a much easier job motivating his team for the upcoming series. Steve Davies has replaced Craig Kieswetter and will be hoping for an impressive performance to repay the faith shown by the selectors. Kevin Pietersen’s much publicised exclusion has drawn in some unwanted attention for the English, but they are currently on top of their game and will be hoping his exclusion doesn’t prove costly. Ajmal Shahzad has also been roped in for the ODIs, and the quickie will look cement his place with a worthy performance. The team has a nice balance with a good mixture of experience and youth in all the departments and competition for places is sure to keep all the players on their toes and give their best.

Form

England have won only 2 of their last five ODIs, but that will not matter much as they clearly hold the upper hand after victories in both the Test and T20 series. Their overall record in ODIs this year though, has been good with 9 victories from 12 matches. The caveat though is that 6 of the wins came against minnows like Bangladesh and Scotland. They will thus relish a chance to play and beat a top team.

Pakistan have had a disastrous year so far, with their form deserting them and the spot-fixing controversy putting them in the news for the wrong reasons. Their form in the ODIs has been nothing short of pathetic. They have only managed to win once in the eight matches played this year and that too against lowly Bangladesh. They will be fervently hoping to better that record and start with a victory.

Pakistan aren’t new to controversy and no one knows better than them to bounce back after plumbing to the depths. They have often let their cricket do the talking with some stellar performances in the past when they have been surrounded by controversy or experiencing bad form, but they will be facing a squad whose confidence is sky high and form is superb. How they will get themselves out of the mess they find themselves in, will be interesting. To do that they will have the very difficult task of stopping an England that look to have all bases covered.

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But Riaz’s name was closely associated with the News of the World story which exposed an alleged match-fixing ring.
Mazher Majeed, the agent and alleged fixer who is currently on bail, borrowed Riaz’s jacket when he allegedly took a £10,000 bribe from an undercover reporter.
The newspaper then pictured Majeed seeming to show the money to Riaz and another Pakistan player, Umar Amin.
Butt reportedly told the undercover journalist that he was close to Riaz and that that the pair had played together for Pakistan Under-17s. “We have been mates since we were schoolboys,” he said.
“We played for the same club, same team, same city, same department. You know he gives you everything.”
He certainly did at the Oval as he claimed the wickets of Andrew Strauss, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan and Stuart Broad to help dismiss England for 233 in their first innings.
He then hit 27 from 75 balls after going in as nightwatchman in Pakistan’s reply before his side went on to a four-wicket triumph. But at Lord’s he struggled with the slope, taking one for 92 as Broad and Trott mounted their record partnership.
He made his one-day debut in February 2008, against Zimbabwe, and first made a real mark in a one-dayer against India in Bangladesh when, after 9.2 expensive overs, he was removed from the attack for bowling two beamers.
Riaz, like Butt, hails from a privileged background in Lahore and there were the usual rumours in Pakistan when he was surprisingly selected for the England tour that his family’s influence had helped him up the ladder.
His performances in the A team were probably more pertinent as he ended up as the leading wicket-taker on tours to Australia and Sri Lanka.

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After the tainted trio of Salamn Butt, Mohd. Asif and Amir, Wahab will be the fourth Pak player to be quizzed by Scotland Yard in relation to the spot-fixing controversy. The players are at the centre of allegations that they conspired with Mazhar Majeed to bowl no-balls deliberately at specific moments during the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan. The trio were questioned by the police for over nine hours but were eventually released without charge.

Chairman Ijaz Butt has finally come out into the open and shared some information about the developments surrounding the spot-fixing controversy. In a press conference held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Butt also confirmed that Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal were contacted by the ASCU before the scandal broke out. He said the duo were sent notices at the World T20 in the Caribbean.

In another statement by the PCB, it was confirmed that the Pakistan’s suspended trio of Salman Butt, Asif and Amir were to return to Pakistan soon. The players have not been charged by the Scotland Yard as yet and probe is on.

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Here’s the full text of that interview:

NDTV: It gives us absolutely great pleasure to welcome Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian cricket captain and now somebody who has come to Dehradun for the Save Our Tigers campaign that NDTV and Aircel are running.

I believe Mahendra you have driven all through the night and you got here at 4 in the morning to Dehradun. First, thank you so much.

Dhoni: Thank you.

NDTV: Why is saving our tiger so important to you?
�
Dhoni: Well, there are quite a few things, you know, apart from saying that it’s our national animal. There are plenty of other things that are involved with the tiger, you know, the ecosystem and everything else. And in a way what happens is that everything’s chained. It’s like you have a chain in the ecosystem the same way you save tigers. The numbers are really less, you know. We all know from 40,000 from the start of the, at the start of the century, now we are down to close to 1400-1411. So we have seen that our national animal is already an endangered species and what happens is, when you try to save the national animal, you are actually trying to save the environment because if you have tigers and the number grows, what you need is a habitat, which means the forest and it’s deforestation going everywhere. In a way, what you are indirectly doing is, you know, pushing all the people to have forest which in turn helps in the development of the whole area at the same time. The greener the place the better it is. All of us know what global warming is doing to the whole world. So I think it’s a much broader cause but the face is the tiger because it’s not only our national animal, it gives you the sense of pride. I feel it’s a very majestic animal, you know. When people talk about South Africa, it’ all about lions and elephants. But when we talk about India, we talk about tigers.
�
NDTV: You have just made a very important point because ever since we started the campaign, I have had people writing and saying why are you saving the tiger? Aren’t there other issues that are also of importance? But as you just said it’s not about saving our tigers but saving our forests. We are saving water supply, eventually we’ll end up saving ourselves.
�
Dhoni: Well of course you know if you have forest, if you have green forest, the water table goes up. What happens with deforestation is the water level goes down and we all know how much importance drinking water has. Most of the rivers go through forests, of course they go through cities also. But what happens with deforestation is that the drinking water – the water table – goes down. What we are doing is by saving tigers, we are putting an effort on not to deforest and the development of the overall society, you know, because there are plenty of people. Tourism also gets a boost when there are tigers around – that’s one thing that people from outside come to see in India apart from its heritage. So I think it’s a much broader spectrum that we are filling right now.
�
NDTV: And the specific message that we have come here to give to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand? Some specific steps that he can take?
�
Dhoni: Well, of course, you know, we have experts who have sat down and come up with at least seven points. And they said the Uttarakhand government is doing really well. They’ve taken proactive steps which include the formation of the special tigers protection force. This means the tiger parks over here will be protected by the officers. It’ll take a bit of time for the training part. They have special weapons; they have special power at the same time.
�
NDTV: Two months later, how’s married life suiting you?
�
Dhoni: Well, it’s fantastic… umm… there are quite a few changes after the married life. You can’t be just yourself, you have someone to take care of – not only yourself – and respect the emotions that your partner has got. You just can’t come back to the room after losing a game and say I am not talking because I am upset. You don’t get the same amount of time, that’s also a factor but overall, you know, it’s more for the good than anything else. We are very happy as a married couple.
�
NDTV: Of course, Sakshi must be real used to traveling and living out of a suitcase. But that’s what you’ve been doing now for a long time right?
�
Dhoni: Yes, since I started playing for India – from December, 2004. One of the reasons for that is we have been playing throughout the year and she’s just getting used to it because she is not very used to the media limelight and everything. So I have told her to handle herself and that ‘I will not come in between you and the mediapersons’. She doesn’t mind getting clicked or recorded when she’s with me. But what was interesting to see in Sri Lanka was when she was around on her own, going for a horse ride or something. Somebody would come and start video recording, so she will go after that person and request him or her till he/she deletes the video, or the picture. I was quite amused to see that sight.
�
NDTV: So you are heading to South Africa now? For the Champions’ League?

Dhoni: Yes, we are off to South Africa. Champions’ League is there, which is again a big tournament, you know. All the champions from different places will be accumulating at one place and playing against each other, so I’m just hoping the tournament will be interesting.
�
NDTV: And you think Chennai Superkings have a good chance?

Dhoni: I think every side has a good chance, especially in the 20-20 format. It’s just about that particular day which one of the players has his brilliant day, you know. It can be a bowler, it can be a batsman. I feel it’s very day oriented – that three, three-and-a-half hour matter. And if you act your best on that particular day, you can beat any side, maybe even the strongest side in the world.
�
NDTV: But at the end of the day, the World Cup is just a few months away. That must be preoccupying a lot of your time – figuring out how you’ll be getting everything sorted out?
�
Dhoni: Well, of course, I think it’s a big tournament for us – all the World Cups. If you see, they are big wherever they are held, but if you see the World Cup happening in India, you know, it’s a real big thing. Due to the hype that will be created, I think there will be pressure on the players, not only on the field but also off the field. With the kind of expectation that the Indian public has got with the team, we are expected to do well. It will be important for the success of the team, you know, how individuals manage this pressure, how well they deal with this kind of a pressure. But I think most of the players have played a lot of games, so that really helps in a way. But still, you know, that will be very interesting to see. Of course we have 12-13 ODIs before we go into the World Cup, there may be a platform where you can test any changes in strategies or plans. After that, when you get closer – before four five games – you don’t really like to experiment too much. But I think the next four or five games will be important.
�
NDTV: Are you worried about the sort of inconsistency that we’ve been seeing in the team in recent time? Sometimes the team performs brilliantly, but the very next day they doesn’t seem to be performing at that same level. Is it a worry for you right now?
�
Dhoni: Yes it is, but if you talk about the last tri-series, I am not too much worried about that because I feel that the conditions were demanding. But at the same time, we can question that as international players, we should perform in every venue or condition that we are thrown at. So I feel we could have done a bit better. But the good sign is that I always look at the positive. I think Virender Sehwag batted really well; the bowlers did a splendid job throughout the tournament. So that’s a positive that we have taken. Of course there are areas where we need to work; we need to be very consistent with the batting department, and we need to improve as a fielding unit. So these are the plus and negatives, or you can say, areas where we need to improve before going for the World Cup.
�
NDTV: You must have seen a lot of people questioning whether obviously you had some giants of the game like Sachin is still playing and Sehwag is there. But some of the younger players – to whom the real expectations are there that by the World Cup they will start shouldering a lot of the burden. Are you happy with the way all of them are shaping up? Or do they need to focus a little more on consistency?
�
Dhoni: I think it’s a constant learning process. If you see the batting line up we had, of course we had the greats in the game, and at the time we had no space it the top five or six, you know. But lately, in the last three four series or in the last eight months, there has been one place for grab – when everyone is fit you know. Sachin opening with Viru, and Gautam Gambhir at three and Yuvraj Singh at four, you know, and me batting at five, Raina and all, I think there has been just one space that’s available for grabs. What’s happening is that we are rotating the players as we want to see who is best suitable option for that particular shot, which in turn puts more pressure on the individual coming in because he’s not a permanent player who always featured in the top 11. This means they put more pressure on themselves and get more desperate to perform which in turn pulls you into performing your best.

NDTV: So is that the reason why you also back some of the young players and give them a longer run? I know you came under a lot of criticism for Jadeja for example – why are you playing him so much? So is that the reason why you want to give them a fair chance?

Dhoni: Well, of course, what i believe in is, you know, is giving a certain number of games at a stretch, which means the player doesn’t have the pressure of performing on that particular game otherwise he’ll be thrown out. What happens is he plays three or four games at least, I am saying he knows ‘OK the next three or four games are mine. So i have a span of period where I can perform and say that I belong to this level’. It’s not only about one particular player, I try to do it to all the players. He maybe a batsman or he maybe a bowler, but at times what we have seen is that the importance of a game often pushes us to go for the Best 11 that’s particularly suited for that game.

NDTV: Some of the criticism which I’ve heard once in a while is that maybe some of the Indian players, especially the younger lot, make so much money so early that many of them don’t have the fire to work really hard at their cricket. Is that a fair comment to make? Or do you think it’s not the case?

Dhoni: You may earn whatever money you earn as a cricketer, but you want to play for your country. At the end of the day,� you want to do something special. There are plenty of people who earn 50 crores or 100 crores as businessmen or big professionals or who are really doing well in business. But what gives pleasure to your mom and dad is the fame. People say ‘his dad’s name is this, he is doing really well in this field’. That can only be achieved when once as a cricketer you play for this country, for a sustainable period of time. It’s not like coming in and out of the side. If you play cricket for India, money is bound to come and with IPL in and match money of the Ranjhi trophy, I think money is there. There’s no good reason why you should not work hard, because at the end of the day you want to play for your country.
�
NDTV: If you notice somebody not working up to the amount that you thought they should, is that something you would be very tough with people on? Because you work very hard on your fitness. Would you really get the crackdown on such people?

Dhoni: Well, of course, we need to because as senior players in the side, what you see is if you can see something coming for a youngster’s career which you know may be bad for him, you go up to him and educate him as to what he is doing and what he should be doing. At the end of the day he is the one who should be making the call because when he’s part of a series you can push him to do well but what you want is in between the series – when he’s back home, where he has the luxury of doing whatever he wants – that’s the time when you want him to work hard, not when he’s on the field or when he’s with you. It’s a point which says don’t spoonfeed. If somebody’s in trouble, you always help him or her out; the next time he is in trouble he will look at you, he won’t even try to make any adjustment as to what can be done, he’ll just look at you for a solution. So we don’t really believe in that, we don’t spoonfeed any of the cricketers. What we do is make them aware of the situation – what’s happening and what can be done. You can give them a few options and solutions and push them to select the best option.
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NDTV: Finally, you must be saddened by what you’ve been hearing about the match-fixing scandal. Is there anything you’d like to say on that?

Dhoni: Well it’s sad, the investigations are going on and something like match-fixing or spot-fixing brings disrepute to the game. It doesn’t only restrict to the people who are doing it and the side which they belong to, I think people start associating it with the whole fraternity which means all the cricketers – whichever team you are playing for it doesn’t really matter. And at times what happens is if there is a game which is a very low scoring game, people often say it’s maybe a fixed game.� When you work so hard on the field, that’s the one thing you really don’t want. You really don’t want somebody to comment that ‘OK, the match was fixed’.

NDTV: What a dramatic turnaround! What’s really the cricket’s greatest hoy – snatching victory from the clutches of defeat – now the last thing you would want is somebody to say the match was fixed.

Dhoni: Ya, of course. You work so hard for it. Every day you go to the gym or onto the field, net session, the traveling and the amount of pressure you have to go through and after that you achieve something which is remarkable and people come up with those kind of words, it can be really disheartening. So, you know, what we can try to do is to keep those four-five words as away from cricket as possible.
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NDTV: So if somebody is found guilty, you think a harsh punishment should be given to them?

Dhoni: I would agree with that, definitely because as I said it doesn’t restrict the opinion to yourself, it goes around everywhere. So, definitely harsh decisions need to be taken.

NDTV: Would you worry at all about the possibility match-fixing in the India team?
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Dhoni: I don’t really think so because I don’t think there is any motivation. The kind of effort that we put in the field, we can’t really even think about it. So I don’t see anything like that.

NDTV: Also, the players in India probably stand to lose so much by this. They make so much money by just being cricketers…

Dhoni: Ya, at the end of the day you know what’s money all about? There’s a bracket of money and after that you still eat the same food and you go in the same car. I think most of the cricketers come from middle class background, so they are aware of the situation and I think most of them want to play for the country and get the fame out of it. Most of them are clever enough to know that money is bound to come if you play cricket for India. And I believe the struggle that they go through the initial starting phase of their career, I think that teaches them really well that ‘don’t think about the money because you have already gone through the harsh part of life – when you have travelled in the sleeper class and at times in a bus with no reservations’. Most of the cricketers have gone through that and I don’t think anything like that will happen in the Indian cricket team.
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NDTV: So no one’s come to you and complained that people are coming to us and approaching us?
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Dhoni: No, no. Never till now.

NDTV: All right Mahendra Singh Dhoni, it’s always a pleasure talking to you. Finally, as the captain of India, you words to everybody would be the pride that comes by wearing the India cap is more than all the millions which you might have made…
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Dhoni: I think it’s representing the country that’s more important…

NDTV: OK, it was wonderful having you here with us. Thank you so much for all you are doing for our Save Our Tiger campaign. At least in Uttarakhand, now that it’s your responsibility, are the tigers safe?

Dhoni: They are safe. Will make sure they are safe (smiles).
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NDTV: Is the World Cup safe? Do you think we have a good shot?
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Dhoni: Definitely, we are a good side, a very talented side but as I always say, I don’t predict much about cricket. If you play to your potential and you do all the things right – on the field and off the field – during that period you have a very good chance to do really well in the World Cup.
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NDTV: Really well means winning? Because unfortunately in India, or playing in India, that’s what going to be the expectation.

Dhoni: Of course, that’s there.
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NDTV: All right Mahendra Singh Dhoni, pleasure to have you here. Thank you.
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Dhoni: Pleasure.�

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/full-text-ms-dhoni-on-match-fixing-tigers-and-marriage-50287?cp

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This post was submitted by Chinmaya Nayak.