M.S. Dhoni

New Delhi: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and two of his teammates managed to come out unscathed from a near stampede situation after an exhibition match in a remote town of Maharashtra, where they had gone to inaugurate a cricket academy.

Hundreds of local fans, who gathered to have a glimpse of their heroes, rushed on to the ground posing a serious security hazard for the players and raising questions whether adequate security was in place.

Dhoni and his two pace bowling colleagues — Zaheer Khan and R.P. Singh — went to Bhandara in Maharashtra to inaugurate the academy, named after civil aviation minister Praful Patel’s father.

The players left for Bhandara from Rajkot. But their presence at the academy came in for some media scrutiny, with a TV channel showing footage of the chaotic scenes at the venue and questioning whether it was prudent on their part to break away from the team and attend a private function, particularly when a series is on.

The BCCI, however, played down the incident saying it was only a charity function and players had taken prior permission. (PTI)