The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Every team is tough, says Moody

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Every team is tough, says Moody

Principal Correspondent

HYDERABAD: Tom Moody, the coach of Kings XI Punjab, which takes on Deccan Chargers in the DLF-IPL here on Thursday, said that it was time to put the controversy involving Harbhajan Singh and S. Sreesanth behind and look forward. “It is important for Sreesanth to express himself without actually crossing the line,” he said.

Sreesanth, however, would undergo a fitness test after he missed the nets on Wednesday — because of flu — according to skipper Yuvraj Singh.

Moody did not agree with the view that the team was not backing Sreesanth 100 per cent in the wake of the controversy. “You are badly mistaken. He is doubtful for Thursday’s match because of flu and nothing else,” he said. He also appealed to the media not to blow up the issue.

Moody said the first objective of the team was to be successful, despite missing the services of Brett Lee, Simon Katich and Kyle Mills, who leave for home due to international commitments.

On Deccan Chargers, Moody said that no team in the IPL could be taken lightly. “Every team is tough as the event progresses and we move ahead to achieve the first objective of qualifying for the final.”

No pressure

Yuvraj did not believe that there would be any pressure on him in the backdrop of the Sreesanth controversy. “We have already played one match after that. We are just looking to play a good match on a pitch which looks full of runs,” he said.

V.V.S. Laxman, captain of Deccan Chargers said controlled aggression without being too personal was okay. He added: “We will concentrate on our strength and not bother about the possible line-up of the rivals.”

He also said that though Andrew Symonds would be missed, the international stars available were potential match-winners. “Shahid Afridi is a dashing batsman who can change the game around and we will use him according to the situation.”

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