Done and dusted: Dhoni does not want controversy on missing delivery

Had it not been for a missed delivery in the 30th over, there could have an another twist to the otherwise thriller which ended up in a tie between India and Sri Lanka at Adelaide on Tuesday. In a rare and surprising incident, Lasith Malinga bowled only five balls in the 30th over of India’s innings, with no one — including on-field umpires Simon Fry and Nigel Llong, TV umpire Bruce Oxenford and the players on the field — realising the mistake. MS Dhoni, though, did not appear flummoxed by the incident, though he suggested that the third umpire should have stepped in to correct the on-field umpires, writes The Times Of India quoting Dhoni.


“Duncan (Fletcher, the India coach) told me there was a five-ball over. In the past, what we have seen is that the third umpire intervenes and you have to come back and bowl that ball. Usually, that’s what it is and that has happened to us also. It didn’t happen in this game. Fair enough. Not much can be done now. It's done and dusted. We can create a big fuss about a human error and there could be a controversy. We are happy with the result and don’t want to take this issue further,” said the Indian captain.


The Indian captain also took the opportunity to comment on the DRS. “If it can happen, then I don't know why people back the DRS so much. We have seen people really being happy with the DRS in one series when it goes in their favour. If it doesn't go in their favour, they're unhappy about it,” quotes The Hindu.

Neither team deserved to win the encounter, writes Sunil gavaskar in his column in TOI. “It was another thriller alright but both, India and Sri Lanka will be kicking themselves for missing out on a win. In a way both sides did not deserve to win since both messed things up quite badly and allowed the other team to get back in the game. Both teams squandered chances to win and while a tie keeps Sri Lanka still in the hunt for a place in the knockouts, it makes it a little harder for India to experiment if they had won this game,” writes Gavaskar, taking a dig on Team India’s rotation policy.


“India, of course, have made it clear that they will follow a rotation policy for the first three players, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. It also means that whatever is their form, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma are not going to get dropped and that Manoj Tiwary, who got a century in the last match that he played, will be only carrying the drinks throughout the tour. If the likes of Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir, all proven performers are to be rested then it should also apply to the others and that includes the wicketkeeper too,” he writes.



Meanwhile, amid speculation that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) and Sahara may be trying to break the impasse arising out of Sahara’s pulling out of the IPL and Indian team’s sponsorship, a senior BCCI official on Tuesday said, “there will be no further discussions. What BCCI has to offer is already on the table. It is for Sahara to come forward and accept it,” says a report in TOI.

On Tuesday, former BCCI president Shashank Manohar –who was crucial in bringing Sahara into the Indian Premier League (IPL) fold in 2010 – arrived in Mumbai and spent the day with other Board officials before leaving for Pune. There was further speculation that his visit pertained to another round of talks between Sahara and BCCI.     However, the Board official confirmed that what BCCI president N Srinivasan said in Chennai, after the Working Committee meeting on Monday, was final. “How can there be any further negotiation? The Board responded positively to Sahara’s demands while also keeping the rules and regulations in place,” says the official.