Write Comment     |     E-Mail To a Friend     |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Print

MUMBAI, India - A scheduling mixup meant Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Indian squad went without food for the entire morning before the World Cup semifinal against Pakistan.

Dhoni told a news conference Friday that his players couldn’t get breakfast at the team hotel and had to eat quickly right before the toss in Wednesday’s match.

"The first meal that we had was just before the toss because food was not served at the hotel," Dhoni said. "They said that it would take an hour to serve breakfast, so we turned up at the field but there was nothing actually at the ground."

Dhoni, who won the toss and elected to bat first in that game, said such things could distract players.

"What is important is what you can do about it. You may scream, you may shout but you will not get the food. So what is important is to use the time in the best possible manner. We went to the field and did our warmup and had our food before the toss," he added.

Reports in the local media had earlier blamed numerous security checks for delay in the food reaching the ground.

The match was attended by the Prime Ministers of both India and Pakistan.