Even in England Dhoni refuses to be put in spot

New Delhi, May 30: Indian skipper MS Dhoni today refused to talk about the IPL spot-fixing scandal in media and asserted that Indian cricket's reputation has not been tarnished and he is hopeful of India's good show in the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament.

Speaking at a press conference in Birmingham for the Champions Trophy, the Chennai Super Kings skipper faced several uncomfortable questions on IPL spot-fixing. However he told the media that he will answer the questions when the time will be right.

"Right now we are concentrating on Champions Trophy as this is a very important tournament for us. Please do not ask any questions related to the IPL fixing. We will answer the questions only when the time is right. This particular scandal is not going to tarnish the image of India or cricket," said Dhoni.

"I just want to keep aside from the whole issue now," said Dhoni.
Dhoni emphasised that Indian cricket's reputation has not been tarnished and he is hopeful of India's good show in the upcoming tournament.

The skipper mentioned that IPL cannot be blamed if his team does not perform well in the Champions Trophy.

On whether a win in Champions Trophy will repose faith among the fans, Dhoni said he's doesn't believe in imagining things and would rather focus on making the right preparations for the Champions Trophy. "We have two practice sessions; we'll take it from there. I hope that should be enough," Dhoni said.

The Indian skipper also said it will be a challenge playing with the new rules. "It will be the first time we will be playing away from subcontinent with the new rules. And champions Trophy is a tough tournament as top teams participate in this one. We are looking to get good experience for our youngsters," Dhoni said.

Dhoni admitted that the Indian team has always struggled after the IPL and said the team would like to get this statistics right.

"We have to look at the positives. Playing in the IPL has helped bowlers get good exposure playing with senior bowlers from other international teams. Travelling was not hectic. We have got good hospitality in India. Yes, history shows that after IPL, we have not done well. Let's see how it goes," Dhoni said.

Asked whether Rohit Sharma can open the batting again for India like he did in the last international game, Dhoni said they have a good opening batsman in Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay who had a "decent" IPL. "We have Karthik as well, but he is more of a middle-order batsman. If any of the two openers fail to make it, then we might consider Rohit Sharma as opener," he said.

PTI