BCCI tells Dhoni, Sehwag to ensure team unity

The Board of Control for Cricket in India stepped in to bring about harmony in the Indian cricket team in Australia, telling skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and vice-captain Virender Sehwag to ensure cordiality prevails.

Although the BCCI had on Wednesday claimed there is no rift in the team, and there was nothing to be "concerned about", it is learnt that secretary Sanjay Jagdale has been entrusted with the task of talking to the team management and helping restore peace in the dressing room.

- Sehwag, Tendulkar too 'slow' for ODIs?

No BCCI official was, however, willing to comment on the development.

BCCI sources said Jagdale spoke with Dhoni, Sehwag and coach Duncan Fletcher and told them to play as a team.

There are reports that Dhoni and Sehwag could address a joint-press conference to convey the message that all is well in the team and there is no division among senior players.

Reports of dissension surfaced mainly after the team management introduced the rotation policy for only three openers -- Sachin Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, a move that sparked off a heated debate on its merits.

The first signs of the rift came into the open when Gambhir took a dig at Dhoni for not finishing matches early enough and the skipper retorting that it is a matter of perception.

Dhoni then dropped a bombshell by publicly snubbing the fielding abilities of the three openers, saying they are not being played together as they are slow fielders and could cost the team 20 extra runs.

But Sehwag countered his captain by saying that the seniors were never told that fielding was an issue when the rotation policy was introduced.

The verbal duel between the seniors, who have used the press conference to take jibes at each other, have not gone unnoticed by the media, which has constantly highlighted the poor performance of the players in what has turned out of a nightmarish tour of Australia.