Accusations have motivated us further - Kirsten

Two days after making an emphatic statement on the field against Pakistan at The Oval, India sought to make a strong one off it, with the entire squad assembling before the media in a show of unity. The bizarre assemblage was aimed at denying reports in the Indian media of a rift between the captain MS Dhoni and his deputy Virender Sehwag.

All 15 members of the squad, and the support staff, walked up on stage after a three-hour training session at Trent Bridge; while Dhoni and the team manager sat at the table, the rest gathered behind in an overt display of camaraderie. Dhoni then read out a written statement from the team for "the people of India, and Indian cricket fans worldwide"..

"As we prepare for the T20 World Cup, we are a superbly unified team," Dhoni said. "The team spirit is as good as it has ever been, with each individual supporting the other on and off the field. Recent reports in the Indian media of a rift between me and Sehwag amount to nothing but false and irresponsible media.

"Our fans and supporters can take confidence from the wonderful unity that continues to exist within the team. We thank our fans for their continued support and look forward to entertaining you during this tournament, which we go into well-prepared, unified as Team India, and confident." And with that, Dhoni led the rest of the squad out of the media briefing room, without taking questions.

That task fell to coach Gary Kirsten, who said he was "blown away" when he heard about the reports because it was something that "that never exists in this team." He said the decision to make a public show of team unity had been a collective one and was intended to send a message to the fans that there was no infighting in the squad.

"We don't play as individuals, we play as a team. We take a lot of pride in that," Kirsten said. "When we get accused of infighting, it hurts us. We collectively made the decision that it was a good idea to show the Indian people, most importantly, our team unity, just in case there was any doubt that there was any infighting."

The questions came thick and fast. Was there a need for such a dramatic reaction to the reports? Wouldn't the issue have died down after a few strong performances, or when Sehwag regained fitness and returned to the playing XI? Wouldn't such a gesture invite unwarranted attention to the issue if indeed it was, as the team claims, without basis? Kirsten didn't think so, and there were individuals within the team that felt that something needed to be said. Kirsten felt the gesture was a "huge positive" that had motivated the players and made them more determined.

The team going out of its way to make an emotional statement was at odds with Dhoni's usually cool and calm handling of the side. Perhaps the weight of expectation the team is under this time required them to project a unified force going into the World Twenty20.

Two years ago, no one gave India a chance of attaining Twenty20 glory. They had played only one international, against South Africa in 2006, and their leading batsmen - Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid - plus Zaheer Khan had opted out of the tournament. Even the Indian board had shunned the format until then, giving it no importance in their international or domestic calendar. The team was finding its feet in the format during the campaign in South Africa but the unexpected victory changed everything. It proved the catalyst for the IPL.

The core group of the present squad is formed by the same players that gave India its first international trophy since 1985 and they realize that they are carrying a responsibility that didn't exist when they took the field against Scotland in Durban two years back. "There is a level of expectation because the team has won before, they are the world champions," Kirsten said. "We are fully aware of that responsibility and understand the pressures that come with that. We are just focusing on our processes and know that if we execute our skills as well as possible, we'll be a hard team to beat.

"I think it started in the last Twenty20 World Cup, a young bunch of cricketers with not much hope of winning a tournament came through and showed great team unity. The message is that when we operate as a very closely knit team, we can achieve wonderful things."

Unity. It was a word repeatedly heard on the eve of India's first match against Bangladesh. Their actions today may have been fuelled by good intentions but it will also increase scrutiny they will be under when they take the field at Trent Bridge on Saturday.