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India's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni walks back after Sri Lanka defeated India by 8 wickets during the Tri Series ODI cricket match in Dambulla
The print media boycotted Mahendra Singh Dhoni's post-match media conference after the Indian captain kept the presspersons waiting for more than an hour following the conclusion of the India-Sri Lanka ODI here on Sunday.
During this period, Dhoni was seen playing football with the members of the Indian team at the Rangiri Stadium.
According to the standard procedure, the two captains should address the media within half-an-hour of the prize distribution ceremony, a Sri Lanka Cricket spokesman said.
Earlier, India had suffered its heaviest ODI defeat in terms of the number of balls remaining for the opposition — it lost to Sri Lanka with 209 deliveries remaining in the contest.
Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, who came in first, said his side played with focus and drive but was not overly aggressive.
He complimented his pacemen for bowling in the rights areas and swinging and seaming the ball. Sangakkara was all praise for young paceman Thisara Perera.
He spoke about the side's determination in tough times. Sangakkara also said he would take a small break before the final by travelling to Trincomalee.
On the issue of a few debatable umpiring decisions in the contest, Sangakkara said, “Sometimes they (the decisions) go your way, sometimes they don't. This is why I feel more technology should be used.
“We should have referrals in both Tests and the ODIs. India has been the only country opposing the referral system.”
The match concluded around 7.15 p.m. When Dhoni finally addressed the media, it was 8.45 pm.
