Akhtar bowls a googly before a bouncer

Faisalabad: Many a drama happens on the field and off it. With Indian cricketers not permitted to talk to the media, all that one can do is be near them, and grab whatever they say even casually. Strangely, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which has put a gag on players from talking to the journalists, does not consider this as breaking the rule.

Once this was clear, this correspondent followed the Indian and Pakistan teams after the match to Hotel Serena, where they were staying. On Monday, even Dhoni was not granted permission to speak to the press, despite repeated requests from scribes.

Finally, he was cornered in the hotel corridor at night. What everyone wanted to know was what Akhtar had said to him after bowling a bouncer. Dhoni was only too eager to reveal. He revealed that Akhtar asked him, "How many matches have you played against us? You seem to have learned quickly to play us." The next ball was also a bouncer.

Another journalist wanted to know what he did in the evening right after his innings and whether he'd spoken to any of his family members. "I just enjoyed the match highlights on Doordarshan," he said.

Dhoni also expressed delight at the praise he received from his Rahul Dravid when the Indian captain called it the finest counter-attack he'd seen in his career. He said that he had also heard about Kapil Dev speaking highly about him.

Kapil Dev had remarked from Mumbai that "Dhoni is my hero. He is just unbelievable. We talk a lot about Tendulkar and Sehwag, but this boy has as much as talent as anyone in the game. He has a good technique and strikes the ball very hard"".

Unfortunately, neither Dhoni nor Rudra Pratap Singh wwere aware that Kapil Dev had made his debut on this very ground.

After the match on Monday, Younis Khan read out a statement that "the crowd should support their team without offending anyone and thus create a good atmosphere for cricket".

On hearing this statement from Younis, an Indian journalist said that he should first ask his players to behave properly before asking the crowd to do it.

IIt is understood that match referee Ranjan Madugalle summoned Akhtar, Afridi and Kaneria and asked them to take it easy.