Indian skipper MS Dhoni looked fresh and raring to go in the couple of practice sessions that he had over the last couple of days and when he met the media on Tuesday evening, he said how important this break was for all the boys, says a report in The Times Of India. "The first break we got since my debut in 2004 was after the 2007 World Cup. We do not really have fond memories of that break...So this was something we were looking for and we can see that in the body language of the players," Dhoni said.
When asked whether such breaks should be made mandatory every year, the Indian captain went a little on the defensive. "Given the calendar we have, it's a little difficult to get such breaks every year...But this year, we have gaps between series, so that should help." Dhoni said that the practice sessions, looking ahead to the series against Sri Lanka, went very well. "The boys were fresh and we had some specific training sessions which helped in overall improvement...We will now leave for Sri Lanka, battle-ready," he said.
Meanwhile a report in Hindustan Times says that Dhoni, who turned 31 last week, looked fresh at the two-day preparatory camp on Monday and Tuesday, having enjoyed a long break after the IPL. “A 45-day break is the longest the team has had since I started playing international cricket in 2004,” he said.
“The longest break we had before this was when we were eliminated early from the 2007 World Cup. Such a break always does a world of good for the players. Everyone is looking fitter and their body language is always positive.”
The just-announced Pakistan series, however, already appeared to be on his mind. “It will be a tough series,” he said. “Once we go out on the field, our job is to do the country proud. We are sure it will be a competitive series.”
Meanwhile The Hindu reports that for all those familiar with M.S. Dhoni’s press conferences, this much would have been easy to deduce: the Indian captain loves giving elaborate answers and does a fine job with diplomatic clichés. Quite often, he also packs in a straight-from-the-gut, witty response that sometimes is lost in the heap of words.
At the media interaction organised on Tuesday prior to the Indian team’s departure to Sri Lanka (on Wednesday), Dhoni, benign smile and all, was in complete control of the proceedings. When asked about the long break that players had received, Dhoni began with his patented drawl: “well, of course”.
“The longest break before this was during the 2007 50-over World Cup. We really don’t have fond memories of it. I think this [break] was necessary,” he said. He was duly asked if such breaks should be made mandatory. Dhoni went around in circles of how a long break may not always be possible before slipping in a dose of frankness: “This is the longest break we have got in the last five years and maybe in the coming five years also.”