The Voice of a Captain

Mahendra Singh Dhoni might well think his duties off the field are more demanding. He does well, considering

During important tournaments like the World Cup, journalists meet the Indian cricket captain at an appointed time at an appointed place. The industry name for these meetings, of course, is ‘press conference’.

This has been the practice for decades in all major sports, at least during major events. It’s not a bad thing. The journalists do not have to lose dignity in begging the player for time. The player does not have to lose his sanity by fielding calls from reporters the whole day.

On the surface, press conferences are drab, routine affairs held in the “bowels of the stadium” (it is always bowels). But a closer look will reveal the many little tics of the characters on stage. Sometimes the supporting cast can also add to the fun. For example, histrionics are guaranteed when Sami-ul Hasan, an ICC (International Cricket Council) media and communications manager, conducts a press conference. Sami’s animated use of arms and sign language is reminiscent of Jose Mourinho at the touchline.

Dhoni performs one of the most demanding jobs in the country. The number of his fans would be greater than the population of some countries. At all times, there is clamour around him. Yet, he projects serenity. When the atmosphere turns ill-tempered, as it sometimes does when journalists are involved (‘No audio! No audio!’), he looks on with a bemused smile, finger on his chin.

Win or lose, his tone is even. He almost always wears the India cap, dolphin grey or swimming pool blue, bearing the No. 157 (He is the 157th player to represent India in ODIs). Pressed at the back of the cap is likely to be an inverted pair of sunglasses. He sits leaning forward, with hands in his lap. He uses his left hand to explain things and sometimes rocks in the chair. While listening to the question, he looks at the journalist and gently nods his head. The captain of India is also prone to using car analogies when talking about players. It is said Dhoni prefers minimal interaction with journalists. But when he makes himself available, he does justice to the date. He is articulate, reasonably frank about the team’s weaknesses (fielding, for example) and gives technical insights that inform.

Dhoni has had close to ten press conferences since the World Cup began. These are snapshots from some.

It is a dark, wood-panelled room in the new stadium in Jamtha, on the outer rim of Nagpur. There is a photograph of Ray Lindwall and Fred Trueman on the wall behind the speakers. Dhoni arrives wearing the red India practice shirt. The cap and the glasses are there as usual. The press conference is conducted by the ICC’s James Fitzgerald, who looks like a less wolfish Michael Douglas.

Dhoni’s voice is a notch low and he sounds a little tired. Also, the first question demands a poker-face answer. India are playing South Africa the following day. The question refers to the contest as a big match. As all India captains know, it is prudent to play down the hype.

“Every game is important,” Dhoni says. “The Bangladesh game was also important, considering what happened in 2007. Each and every game has its importance.”

There is a question about feeling the pressure of expectations following India’s less-than-confident performances so far. Dhoni uses an expression that traumatises those who were with the team in the Greg Chappell era.

“[What is] most important is to think about the process, not expectations. We all know what is expected of us, but what is important is if we can play to our potential. Not thinking about expectations is one way of doing it,” Dhoni says.

Dhoni gets asked once more about persisting with Piyush Chawla, the legspinner who has been a liability in the preceding two games. Why was Chawla being retained and R Ashwin, the offspinner, being denied a chance? What was the logic?

“What you need to assess is who needs the game more,” Dhoni says. He adds mockingly, “Piyush has been applauded a lot by the media and others. He needed to play that game. He needed to get his confidence back a bit. He is still a youngster.”

Some journalists exchange looks and smiles. There is no saying how old some players are. Pakistan and Shahid Afridi get all the flak on this score, but the Indians are no English muffins.

Someone wants to know if India needs a fielding coach. “We need good fielders first,” Dhoni says before the Henry Ford in him surfaces. “Again I will use the car theory. You may put hybrid fuel in the car, but the cylinder, the engine, everything needs to be like that.”

India have lost to South Africa after one of the worst collapses ever. Except Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni himself, the batsmen selected shots like Vidya Balan chooses clothes. Dhoni’s decision to give Ashish Nehra the final over instead of Harbhajan Singh has backfired. Instead of microphones, there is a clutch of knives staring up at Dhoni.

Dhoni comes in for the conference in match clothes. He looks like a blue crayon. The laces of his shoes seem undone.

The burning question is: why Nehra?

“I had two options: Harbhajan or Ashish. I had to choose one. Ashish has been the pick of our bowlers for the last two years. If you see his performance, he has bowled in the first Powerplay, or second or even in the slog [overs]. We also wanted to test him out before the knockout stage.”

Dhoni is clear that the collapse was where South Africa came back into the match. “That was the main turning point,” he says. “We should have delayed our slog and played the full 50 overs. You want a par-plus score.”

The next few answers have cricketing profundity.

He explains his bold statement that players should play for the country, not play to the galleries. “When you have 270 runs on the board, you go out there and you want to play those big shots,” he says. “And you know, the crowd, they always want those big shots. It is important to curb your thinking (temptation) and stick to your role. You need to bat 50 overs. That is the first and foremost thing. If you have lost just two or three wickets in 35 overs, you should be able to bat 50 overs. The more you bat, the more runs you get.”

Dhoni then talks about something less obvious that played a role in the outcome of the game.

Nagpur is “one of the biggest grounds in India. We were tested by their fast running between wickets. Most of the fielders got targeted, which won’t be the case at the other grounds. Fielding was also the difference between the two sides. They fielded brilliantly.”

Next question. And Dhoni is now philosophical.

“Cricket is a cruel game. When you are from a small place like Jharkhand, you see the duality of the game. This is not the first time I have seen this (the game’s cruelty) or heard of it. One of our coaches would also say this. It’s not a disappointment but a learning curve. Till it doesn’t get over, it is not over.”

The Indian captain is addressing his first outdoor press conference this World Cup. Security reasons. As he arrives, sipping an energy drink, his grey stubble is visible. He carries two bats, one with a red rubber, the other orange. The tops of the handles are visible when Dhoni leans them against the table he is sitting on. In natural light, the usual heap of microphones before him looks like confiscated guns.  This is before India’s match against Holland. There are people from the Dutch cricket circle around. One of them is a middle-aged man wearing a deep red polo shirt, white khakis and dark brown suede shoes. He feels the heat and stands under an adjoining staircase, sipping mineral water. A cleaning woman watches from upstairs, her left arm on her waist.

It’s hard to follow the questions when you are outdoors. Only Dhoni’s voice is clear through the microphone. One reporter asks a really long-winded question, and a slightly bemused Dhoni says, “Kaafi confusing question ho gaya mere liye” (That one’s too confusing for me). There is little else of interest in the press conference. Except his use of the word ‘request’ when talking about a probable situation where a player has to be left out. “I will have to request the player (concerned) to rest.”

This is the quirkiest press conference stage of the World Cup. A silky white fabric drapes the table. There are enough potted plants surrounding the dais for midgets to shoot a movie song. Two bottles of the sponsors’ drinks stand on the table. Their seal is intact and will be so because no one ever drinks from these bottles. Players usually carry their own drink. A couple of portable fans stand in different corners. A scruffy old man sits in a corner with the audio controls, in obvious contrast to the millionaire cricketer who will sit not far from him and breathe the same air. In the background, there is the loud grating sound of plastic chairs being dragged along the floor or being set down. The chairs sound like fireworks going off. There is a buzz among the journalists.

The match, against England, has ended in a tie. Dhoni is candid about the team’s fielding.

“Maybe if we fielded slightly better, we would have won the game by one run… you realise in these games the importance of one run,” he says. “I don’t think we can improve the fielding very much because we have quite a few slow fielders in the side. If we were a different fielding side, it would have been slightly better, but then you need to realise your strengths and fielding is definitely not a big part of it.”

He gives an insight into how the team works in close matches. In this match, for example, he was seen talking a lot with Virender Sehwag, fielding nearby.

“If you are not 100 per cent sure of something, you have got experienced players in the side you can approach… at the end of the day, the motivation is to take the best decision at the right time. That’s why I was interacting with him since he was close to me.”

Dhoni reveals his policy on field setting:

“I always give bowlers the liberty to set their field. If the fast bowler wants a particular field, even if I am not very happy with it, I believe in the skill of the fast bowler, and give him first preference to pick his field. If it is not successful, then I implement my own field.”

He is not in love with the UDRS (Umpire Decision Review System). It has cost India the crucial wicket of Ian Bell.

“Adulteration is bad, whether it is natural or technological,” Dhoni says. “I think the adulteration of technology with human intention was the reason why we didn’t get that wicket. Hopefully next time, it will be (either) technology or human intention.”

This is India’s opening match of the World Cup and the press is hyperactive. There is an undercurrent of rebellion in the room against the ICC’s restrictions on some of the gadgets used by journalists. As usual, the television crews show no decorum or patience. They shove and shout on some pretext or the other. Sami Mourinho threatens to cancel the press conference. Dhoni, in red shirt and blue cap, watches everything with a hint of a smile. When this goes on for a while, he says something to the effect of “What’s going on?”

There are a hundred questions on pressure. It is a word that probably gives Dhoni indigestion and makes him reach for the Pancharishta he endorses. Asked how much pressure there was on him and the side, he says, “I would have told you the exact figure if I had a machine to measure the pressure.”

Next: how big a factor was India’s solid performance in the previous couple of years?

“I think the last two years’ performances do contribute a lot. During this time we have done well wherever we have played, and performed consistently. I think that’s one of the main reasons why we are considered one of the favourites. And, of course, the home conditions also add to it.”

To a question hinting that the team is ready with excuses whenever it loses, Dhoni says, “We never give excuses when we have not done well, be it in the ODIs or the T20 format. The (stated) reasoning for the loss is often taken as an excuse. Therefore, I keep saying the interpretation of the statement is very important.”

2011 World CupcaptainMahendra Singh Dhoni