Thaindian News

Perth, Jan 12 (IANS) Saying that the Australians must be dreaming, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and senior batsman Virender Sehwag Thursday rubbished speculations in the media here of a rift in the visitors’ dressing room.

“Australians must be dreaming about it after a few beers. I have never seen the Indian team fight. And this is one thing we are really proud of. They (Australia) are sitting and dreaming of it because it has not really happened,” said Dhoni.

“Our real strength is that we love each other and enjoy each other’s successes. I am really proud of our dressing room atmosphere,” he said.

Sehwag said there were no differences between him and Dhoni and said the team is unified ahead of the third Test against Australia at the WACA.

“When teams start losing then these kind of things come, but there is nothing true in that. We are playing as a team and we are fine,” said Sehwag.

“I can’t talk about anything else because there are rules, but you asked me about this and I can say it is rubbish. We are as a unit and we are carrying on for the next Test,” Sehwag was quoted as saying by The Age.

The Australian media has accused Sehwag of creating differences in the Indian dressing room after India’s embarrassing defeats in the first two Tests.

Former captain and veteran batsman Rahul Dravid had also dismissed rumours of differences within the Indian team.

The Australian media had accused senior batsman Virender Sehwag of creating a rift in the Indian team, which is reeling under the stress of two embarrassing defeats in the first two cricket Tests for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Courier Mail reported that India coach Duncan Fletcher is facing the greatest challenge of restoring harmony to a squabbling Indian dressing room and said Sehwag is the man polarising opinions.

The daily also reported that India’s team harmony is brittle at the best of times because “their dressing room is a unique ensemble of vastly contrasting characters, cultures and cliques”.