Srinath denies he criticised Dhoni

London:

Former fast bowler Javagal Srinath on Tuesday denied he had blamed India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's row with the media as the reason behind the country's early exit from World Twenty20.

Some reports in the British media had quoted Srinath as saying that he believed Dhoni's reaction to the controversy surrounding Virender Sehwag's injury had unsettled the team.

"I think the row between Dhoni and the media was unnecessary and I hope Dhoni manages the fallout of the early exit better," he had been quoted as saying on Monday.

Srinath, however, said his views on a television discussion had been quoted out of context.

"I wish to clarify that I have been quoted out of context by the contents taken out of a television discussion. I have only spoken to a television channel and those contents were distorted and reproduced in media," Srinath, an ICC match referee, said in a statement.