Cricket World Cup 2015: India snubs supporters at SCG, MS Dhoni refuses to fulfil media obligations

INDIA’S sustained disrespect for their legion of fans continued on Wednesday with supporters locked out of the SCG and MS Dhoni refusing to fulfil his media obligations.

India's Virat Kohli signs autographs for fans at a gate of the Sydney Cricket Ground during training for the Cricket World Cup in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, March 25, 2015. India will play Australia in the World Cup semifinal on Thursday March 26, 2015 to gain a place in the final against New Zealand.(AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

INDIA’S sustained disrespect for their legion of fans continued on Wednesday with supporters locked out of the SCG and captain MS Dhoni refusing to fulfil his media obligations on the eve of a World Cup semi-final.

But at least Virat Kohli made some effort to acknowledge the people that make he and his teammates such stars, signing a few autographs through the fence for the dozens shut out on Driver Avenue.

Kohli does a dance after training at the SCG.

The rest of his teammates simply retreated back to the dressing rooms.

A whopping 70 per cent of today’s capacity crowd are estimated to be Indians, not that captain Dhoni would care.

Asked why his skipper was absent from his obligatory pre-match press conference, his unwitting replacement Rohit Sharma was unable to provide a plausible explanation.

Asked if there was anything wrong with Dhoni, Sharma replied:

“He’s fine.”

At least on the field, India is confident of giving their fans their money’s worth.

Kohli predicted Australia are vulnerable to folding under the weight of expectation.

Kohli was the only Indian player to sign autographs for fans at the SCG.

“There will be a lot of pressure on them,” Kohli told Fox Sports.

“If we can exploit that, it will be great for us.

“Everyone is expecting them to win and I’m sure they’re aware of that.

“If you get into that zone of knowing what people expect from you and you actually start thinking about it, it’s not a good zone to be in.

“Trust me — they will be under massive pressure.”