08

JUNE 30-JULY 06, 2013

cover story

Forgiven
Despite leading India to a Champions Trophy win, the majority of Indians polled in an ET Magazine-Ipsos survey are in no mood to forget his non-cricketing interests
:: Binoy Prabhakar

Hes a Winner, but hes not

ndian cricket captains about to leave on an overseas tour usually face predictable questions about the teams preparations, composition, chances and the like at the customary presser before departure. But the farewell accorded to Mahendra Singh Dhoni by journalists on May 29 as he prepared to leave for England for the Champions Trophy was radically different from the past. At least four questions thrown at Dhoni were linked to betting and spot fixing, in which specific parts of a match are rigged, after allegations of such chicanery had surfaced for the second time in two seasons in the Indian Premier Trophy (IPL). If these questions were disconcerting, Dhoni didnt show it. He ducked all of them, with more finesse that he would a bouncer from

Dale Steyn. Yet, he couldnt have been faulted for running to catch the plane to England. The cold, dreary English conditions that awaited him seemed pleasant all of a sudden. Back home, the heat was about to rise several notches. Four days later, The Economic Times reported that Rhiti Sports Management, set up by Arun Pandey, a confidante of Dhoni, manages the Indian captain as well as teammates such as Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Pragyan Ojha. ET investigations revealed that Dhoni bought a 15% stake in the sports management and marketing firm earlier this year, raising questions of propriety and conflict of interest.

After the Champions Trophy win, should Dhoni get the benefit of doubt in the apparent conflict between cricket & business interests?

42%
Yes

51%
No

Dont know/ Cant say

7%

Majority of the respondents polled in Hyderabad (77%), Delhi (69%), Chennai (66%), Kolkata (66%) and Mumbai (59%) are not willing to give Dhoni the benefit of doubt. Only Bangalore (75%), Pune (69%) and Kochi (55%) are willing to look the other way.