Wellington: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday surprisingly skipped the customary captain's press conference on the eve of the second Test against New Zealand here, possibly to avoid taking questions on the Justice (retd) Mukul Mudgal-committee report, wherein his name figures.

While Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum turned up for the press conference, opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan came to address the media in Dhoni's absence. Even Dhawan was not allowed to take questions on the spot fixing and the betting scandal in the 2013 Indian Premier League (IPL) and media manager R.N. Baba concluded the conference shortly afterwards.