In July 1981, a boy was born in Ranchi to Paan Singh and Devki Devi. Fondly called “Mahi” by everyone, he studied at the DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir School. Throughout his childhood, “Mahi” was interested in sports. He played Football, Hockey, Badminton and Table Tennis. Then in 1994, he donned the wicket keeper’s gloves for the first time on the request of the school sports instructor who thought that it would be easier for a football goal keeper to keep wickets and fill the void in the school team for a wicket keeper. The rest they say is history, and football’s loss turned out to be cricket’s gain and Mahendra Singh Dhoni emerged as the cricketing sensation of the next generation.
After making his debut for India, he scored a blistering 148 against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, leading to the country’s victory. It was this innings that made people sit up and notice him for the first time. That was not it. A few months later, in October 2005, he scored a sensational 183 against Sri Lanka to break Adam Gilchrist’s record for the highest score by a wicket keeper in one day internationals.
As time went by, MSD proved himself to be a cool and thinking cricketer. He showed the ability to grasp the requirements of a situation quickly and established himself as a far more reliable asset for India than his other peers like Yuvraj Singh and Mohammad Kaif.
Over the years, Dhoni has not only showed that he could destroy any bowling attack with his big hits and powerful strikes, but also that he could dig his heels and defend if a situation demanded so. This phase resulted in the transformation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni from only a one day cricketer to also an asset in the test arena.
The greatest side to the phenomenon called MSD came in the year 2007, when this young cricketer was given the responsibility to captain an inexperience Indian side in the T20 World Cup. No one expected this team to perform, but Dhoni was able to bring out the best in these cricketers and India went on to win the world cup creating one of India’s most glorious moments since the 1983 World Cup Victory. Since then, Dhoni has taken over as the captain of the ODI team as well and is also the deputy to Anil Kumble in the test format. He has brought about a new brand of cricket. Under him India has become more aggressive than even before. If Saurav Ganguly brought aggression to Indian Cricket for the first time and Rahul Dravid brought about a sense of calmness in the Indian dressing room then MSD has taken aggression and coolness to another level. It is his ability to be calm in pressure situations and still be able to play aggressive cricket that is yielding results for Indian Cricket.
Dhoni’s success on the field has also brought him laurels of the field. From brands queuing up for endorsements to Bollywood constantly trying to woo him, his rugged looks combined with his boy next door image has made him a favorite amongst Indian fans. What has however been great to see is that all this has not affected Dhoni. He is still soft spoken and down to earth and his conduct on and off the field has been exemplary.
Dhoni is part of the generation which will replace the golden generation of Indian cricket. Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid, Laxman and Kumble are all on the last legs of their career. The great thing for India is that it has probably found one great star to replace them. Mahendra Singh Dhoni could turn out to be India’s most successful captain and probably one of the best wicket keeper batsmen that the world has ever seen.
All in all, I look forward to seeing the sensation called “Mahi” take his rightful place as one of India’s Greatest.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Dhoni bomb and Dhoni laddu, new hits on Diwali
Dhoni bomb and Dhoni laddu, new hits on Diwali
Ranchi | Monday, Oct 27 2008 IST
Dhoni bomb and Dhoni laddu' have become new attraction among diwali revellelrs here, the home town of team India`s ODI captain M S Dhoni.
Not only that, sweets in the shape of cricket bat and balls christened as Dhoni are luring customers particularly the youths in the run upto the festival.
Pradeep Singhania, a shop owner said the range of crackers made in the name of the icon cricketer became a real 'hit' adding earlier celebrities like Karishma Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai also made a huge success. Among the politicians, 'Lalu' was a hit in the market. But brand Dhoni is the new craze as it became an instant success, the shop owner added.
Niranjan Sharma, another sweet shop owner said 'Dhoni laddu' and 'Dhoni bat' were selling more as people were crazy about the product named after the local lad popular as ''Mahi''.
The price of fire crackers was fixed keeping in mind the recession in the market while the sweet sellers also dish out the items ranging from Rs 260 to Rs 300 per kg.
Ranchi | Monday, Oct 27 2008 IST
Dhoni bomb and Dhoni laddu' have become new attraction among diwali revellelrs here, the home town of team India`s ODI captain M S Dhoni.
Not only that, sweets in the shape of cricket bat and balls christened as Dhoni are luring customers particularly the youths in the run upto the festival.
Pradeep Singhania, a shop owner said the range of crackers made in the name of the icon cricketer became a real 'hit' adding earlier celebrities like Karishma Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai also made a huge success. Among the politicians, 'Lalu' was a hit in the market. But brand Dhoni is the new craze as it became an instant success, the shop owner added.
Niranjan Sharma, another sweet shop owner said 'Dhoni laddu' and 'Dhoni bat' were selling more as people were crazy about the product named after the local lad popular as ''Mahi''.
The price of fire crackers was fixed keeping in mind the recession in the market while the sweet sellers also dish out the items ranging from Rs 260 to Rs 300 per kg.
Dhoni's most striking characteristic is his poise.
There's something special about Dhoni.
It can't just be that he's a provincial from Jharkhand who's made it to the top. There's been a cohort of "provincial" players who have represented India in recent years: Mohammad Kaif, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, the brothers Pathan, come to mind. It can't even be that he's the outstanding player among them, because he's not. Sehwag is the greatest natural talent Indian batting has seen since Sachin Tendulkar's debut.
Dhoni, judged purely as a batsman or a wicketkeeper, is a limited player who has made the most of his abilities. He was a middling-to-poor keeper when he was first selected to play limited-overs cricket for India in 2004, and it wasn't till India's tour of the West Indies in 2006 that his work behind the stumps became reliable. He was a better batsman than he was a keeper when he began his international career. It's worth remembering that he was lucky to play for India at all. Had Parthiv Patel or Dinesh Karthik made the most of their international opportunities, Dhoni might have laboured in the salt mines of domestic cricket for the whole of his career. Patel and Karthik are both several years younger than him and they made their ODI and Test debuts before he did.
In fact, the first thing that distinguishes Dhoni from the generation of players that debuted for India in the 21st century is that unlike Irfan Pathan or Patel or Sreesanth, he was not a prodigy. He wasn't a teen sensation plucked out of obscurity and planted on the world stage. He ground his way through all the tiers of competitive cricket: the Under-19 teams battling for the Cooch Behar trophy, the obscure matches played for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy, the India A sides, and then, eventually, when younger, more touted players failed, he was picked to play for India. He was 23 years old when he played his first one-day international and 24 when he made his Test debut.
His first claim to the world's attention was the savage 148 he struck against Pakistan in the ODI in Vizag in April 2005. This was exactly twice the number of runs Sehwag made in the same game, and Dhoni's century helped India win the match. He followed this up with an even more remarkable 148 against the same team, this time in a Test match in Faisalabad; the hundred took him all of 93 balls. But while Dhoni has consolidated his claim to being one of the most effective one-day batsmen in the world, his Test form has remained modest. He hasn't scored another century; unlike his great contemporaries, Adam Gilchrist and Kumar Sangakkara, he has been a battling batsman rather than a dominant one, and sometimes not even that. On the tour of Australia earlier this year, Dhoni played all four Tests without scoring a fifty. He averaged under 18 and looked out of his depth against first-rate fast bowling on brisk pitches. Harbhajan Singh made more runs in fewer matches at a higher average and a superior run-rate.
So why is Dhoni special? It is because he is the first Indian cricketer whose persona is more important and more valuable to his team than his cricketing abilities. And what does that mean? It means several things, so it's best to itemise them.
Dhoni's most striking characteristic is his poise. As a batsman and wicketkeeper he leaves no one in any doubt about his competitiveness, but he doesn't sledge, he doesn't curse, he doesn't make like a drama queen when he's given a dodgy decision, and if he has to play through injury (as he did in the CB Series in Australia) he gets on with it.
He is the only Indian cricketer in the last 40 years (apart from Sehwag) who actually does what Kipling prescribed in that corny but resounding poem, "If": he meets with Triumph and Disaster and treats those two imposters just the same. Think of the great players who play alongside Dhoni: Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. They're all more gifted cricketers than Dhoni will ever be, and they've all captained India with varying degrees of success, but not one of them conveyed the sense of reassurance and calm that Dhoni brings to both his demeanour as a player and as a captain. Of all of them, Dhoni is the least likely to suggest by his manner that winning and losing are matters of life or death. Despite the enormous rewards that come with playing for India today, his body language, his lack of visible agitation, make it clear that he knows that in the end it isn't war, it's only a game. After winning the World Twenty20, as his team-mates leapt about, Dhoni was caught by the camera walking up to the stumps, close to expressionless. His matter-of-fact acceptance of defeat in the final of the IPL, which was won by the Rajasthan Royals, led by Shane Warne, was the obverse of his calm at moments of triumph. And Indian selectors and spectators and sportswriters, traumatised by decades of knotted tension, respond to that sane maturity. It calms us.
He's the only Indian captain in recent times who doesn't stamp his feet and scowl when a fielder lets him down on the field. Kumble, Dravid, Ganguly and Tendulkar were all masters of visible reproach when they were leading the team. Dhoni will occasionally ask a player to get his act together, but it's done without knitted brows and theatrical questioning; it's cricket minus Kathakali. His take on controversies involving his team-mates is relaxed and dispassionate. When Sreesanth became known as a serial offender for his antics, Dhoni was content to observe that players learn to rein themselves in once they're disciplined and suspended.
He is also undeferential. Nothing in his early career suggested that he considered himself a "junior" member of the team, and nothing in his present manner suggests that he takes himself seriously as a "senior" member, despite being captain of the ODI side and heir-apparent to Kumble in Tests. He doesn't refer to the team as "my boys" nor does he hesitate to press for youth in the limited-overs squad, despite the risk of alienating "senior" players. It isn't an accident that Dhoni became captain of the ODI team inside three years of making his debut: from the start he carried himself as a mature adult who could deal with responsibility without being weighed down by it. The contrast with Yuvraj Singh, who made his ODI debut four years before Dhoni, couldn't be more striking. Yuvraj would have been India's ODI captain had he lived up to his early promise: he chose, instead, to live a prolonged adolescence.
None of this is to suggest that Dhoni doesn't deserve our attention for his cricketing ability. He bats like a self-taught caveman, and when his homemade brutality comes off, it's thrilling. The two-handed top-spin forehands he uses to counter yorkers; that hernia-inducing mid-air shot, legs scissoring violently to make momentum; those ball-flattening lofted smashes that leave the bowler wondering if he needs a helmet, enliven the game. And should he manage to translate his new-found ability to accumulate runs briskly without risk in ODIs to Test cricket, he may yet rival Sangakkara as a wicketkeeper-batsman. But even if he doesn't, he will live in the history of Indian cricket as the country's first adult captain since MAK Pataudi.
It can't just be that he's a provincial from Jharkhand who's made it to the top. There's been a cohort of "provincial" players who have represented India in recent years: Mohammad Kaif, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, the brothers Pathan, come to mind. It can't even be that he's the outstanding player among them, because he's not. Sehwag is the greatest natural talent Indian batting has seen since Sachin Tendulkar's debut.
Dhoni, judged purely as a batsman or a wicketkeeper, is a limited player who has made the most of his abilities. He was a middling-to-poor keeper when he was first selected to play limited-overs cricket for India in 2004, and it wasn't till India's tour of the West Indies in 2006 that his work behind the stumps became reliable. He was a better batsman than he was a keeper when he began his international career. It's worth remembering that he was lucky to play for India at all. Had Parthiv Patel or Dinesh Karthik made the most of their international opportunities, Dhoni might have laboured in the salt mines of domestic cricket for the whole of his career. Patel and Karthik are both several years younger than him and they made their ODI and Test debuts before he did.
In fact, the first thing that distinguishes Dhoni from the generation of players that debuted for India in the 21st century is that unlike Irfan Pathan or Patel or Sreesanth, he was not a prodigy. He wasn't a teen sensation plucked out of obscurity and planted on the world stage. He ground his way through all the tiers of competitive cricket: the Under-19 teams battling for the Cooch Behar trophy, the obscure matches played for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy, the India A sides, and then, eventually, when younger, more touted players failed, he was picked to play for India. He was 23 years old when he played his first one-day international and 24 when he made his Test debut.
His first claim to the world's attention was the savage 148 he struck against Pakistan in the ODI in Vizag in April 2005. This was exactly twice the number of runs Sehwag made in the same game, and Dhoni's century helped India win the match. He followed this up with an even more remarkable 148 against the same team, this time in a Test match in Faisalabad; the hundred took him all of 93 balls. But while Dhoni has consolidated his claim to being one of the most effective one-day batsmen in the world, his Test form has remained modest. He hasn't scored another century; unlike his great contemporaries, Adam Gilchrist and Kumar Sangakkara, he has been a battling batsman rather than a dominant one, and sometimes not even that. On the tour of Australia earlier this year, Dhoni played all four Tests without scoring a fifty. He averaged under 18 and looked out of his depth against first-rate fast bowling on brisk pitches. Harbhajan Singh made more runs in fewer matches at a higher average and a superior run-rate.
So why is Dhoni special? It is because he is the first Indian cricketer whose persona is more important and more valuable to his team than his cricketing abilities. And what does that mean? It means several things, so it's best to itemise them.
Dhoni's most striking characteristic is his poise. As a batsman and wicketkeeper he leaves no one in any doubt about his competitiveness, but he doesn't sledge, he doesn't curse, he doesn't make like a drama queen when he's given a dodgy decision, and if he has to play through injury (as he did in the CB Series in Australia) he gets on with it.
He is the only Indian cricketer in the last 40 years (apart from Sehwag) who actually does what Kipling prescribed in that corny but resounding poem, "If": he meets with Triumph and Disaster and treats those two imposters just the same. Think of the great players who play alongside Dhoni: Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble. They're all more gifted cricketers than Dhoni will ever be, and they've all captained India with varying degrees of success, but not one of them conveyed the sense of reassurance and calm that Dhoni brings to both his demeanour as a player and as a captain. Of all of them, Dhoni is the least likely to suggest by his manner that winning and losing are matters of life or death. Despite the enormous rewards that come with playing for India today, his body language, his lack of visible agitation, make it clear that he knows that in the end it isn't war, it's only a game. After winning the World Twenty20, as his team-mates leapt about, Dhoni was caught by the camera walking up to the stumps, close to expressionless. His matter-of-fact acceptance of defeat in the final of the IPL, which was won by the Rajasthan Royals, led by Shane Warne, was the obverse of his calm at moments of triumph. And Indian selectors and spectators and sportswriters, traumatised by decades of knotted tension, respond to that sane maturity. It calms us.
He's the only Indian captain in recent times who doesn't stamp his feet and scowl when a fielder lets him down on the field. Kumble, Dravid, Ganguly and Tendulkar were all masters of visible reproach when they were leading the team. Dhoni will occasionally ask a player to get his act together, but it's done without knitted brows and theatrical questioning; it's cricket minus Kathakali. His take on controversies involving his team-mates is relaxed and dispassionate. When Sreesanth became known as a serial offender for his antics, Dhoni was content to observe that players learn to rein themselves in once they're disciplined and suspended.
He is also undeferential. Nothing in his early career suggested that he considered himself a "junior" member of the team, and nothing in his present manner suggests that he takes himself seriously as a "senior" member, despite being captain of the ODI side and heir-apparent to Kumble in Tests. He doesn't refer to the team as "my boys" nor does he hesitate to press for youth in the limited-overs squad, despite the risk of alienating "senior" players. It isn't an accident that Dhoni became captain of the ODI team inside three years of making his debut: from the start he carried himself as a mature adult who could deal with responsibility without being weighed down by it. The contrast with Yuvraj Singh, who made his ODI debut four years before Dhoni, couldn't be more striking. Yuvraj would have been India's ODI captain had he lived up to his early promise: he chose, instead, to live a prolonged adolescence.
None of this is to suggest that Dhoni doesn't deserve our attention for his cricketing ability. He bats like a self-taught caveman, and when his homemade brutality comes off, it's thrilling. The two-handed top-spin forehands he uses to counter yorkers; that hernia-inducing mid-air shot, legs scissoring violently to make momentum; those ball-flattening lofted smashes that leave the bowler wondering if he needs a helmet, enliven the game. And should he manage to translate his new-found ability to accumulate runs briskly without risk in ODIs to Test cricket, he may yet rival Sangakkara as a wicketkeeper-batsman. But even if he doesn't, he will live in the history of Indian cricket as the country's first adult captain since MAK Pataudi.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Dhoni, gliders to draw kids to school
The good attendance awards for the students of Jharkhand would be a thrilling glider ride soon. After mid-day meals, uniform, barber facility, books and bicycles, Jharkhand government hopes that flying in a motor glider would attract more students to the schools and stop the drop-out rate.
"These are efforts to boost attendance in schools. Students with good attendance record will get the chance to fly in gliders," said HRD Minister Bandhu Tirkey. "We are also trying to rope in India One-Day captain M S Dhoni in April as part of efforts to stop dropout," Tirkey said.
The proposal for the motor-glider ride has been approved by Civil Aviation ministry recently and school children of Dumka would enjoy the first ride, the minister said.
"It will be a 10-15 minute ride for each student who would be selected after checking attendance register. Students of class III-VIII will be shortlisted for the ride," Tirkey said.
Expressing hope that the children would be excited by the latest idea to attend schools in tribal-dominated areas, the minister said, "Ideas are good, but strict monitoring of attendant is necessary."
An estimated Rs 42 lakh would be spent annually to fly students in gliders, the minister said. A trained attendant would be present during the trip. The glider would stay for five days in each district with two students flying at a time.
"Up to 200 students from each district will be selected for the trip. This will attract more students to schools. But we have to make more efforts to boost regular attendance," he added.
Construction of airstrips and other related facilities have begun, he said. But doctors have advised that children with a history of ache in the ear should intimate the authorities before taking the flight.
"Even a new-born can take a glider-ride, as it flies in specific conditions. But a child having a past history of ear ache should inform the authorities," Paediatrician Dr Ajit Sahay said.
"They can use ear-plug to avoid ache in the ear at the time of flying, otherwise the glider is safe. Only medicines like paracetamol are needed in emergency," said Sahai. The government had already provided barbers to the students to save "money and time" of the students.
The school authorities have been directed to see whether the students crop hair and trim nails regularly. "I told them that celebration of Global Hand-Washing Day is not a one-day affair. It should be followed daily," the minister said.
Tirkey said efforts were on to get Dhoni's appointment in April. "Already we have message from Dhoni in our literacy and health campaigns. Efforts are on to involve him in a programme in April," the minister said.
"These are efforts to boost attendance in schools. Students with good attendance record will get the chance to fly in gliders," said HRD Minister Bandhu Tirkey. "We are also trying to rope in India One-Day captain M S Dhoni in April as part of efforts to stop dropout," Tirkey said.
The proposal for the motor-glider ride has been approved by Civil Aviation ministry recently and school children of Dumka would enjoy the first ride, the minister said.
"It will be a 10-15 minute ride for each student who would be selected after checking attendance register. Students of class III-VIII will be shortlisted for the ride," Tirkey said.
Expressing hope that the children would be excited by the latest idea to attend schools in tribal-dominated areas, the minister said, "Ideas are good, but strict monitoring of attendant is necessary."
An estimated Rs 42 lakh would be spent annually to fly students in gliders, the minister said. A trained attendant would be present during the trip. The glider would stay for five days in each district with two students flying at a time.
"Up to 200 students from each district will be selected for the trip. This will attract more students to schools. But we have to make more efforts to boost regular attendance," he added.
Construction of airstrips and other related facilities have begun, he said. But doctors have advised that children with a history of ache in the ear should intimate the authorities before taking the flight.
"Even a new-born can take a glider-ride, as it flies in specific conditions. But a child having a past history of ear ache should inform the authorities," Paediatrician Dr Ajit Sahay said.
"They can use ear-plug to avoid ache in the ear at the time of flying, otherwise the glider is safe. Only medicines like paracetamol are needed in emergency," said Sahai. The government had already provided barbers to the students to save "money and time" of the students.
The school authorities have been directed to see whether the students crop hair and trim nails regularly. "I told them that celebration of Global Hand-Washing Day is not a one-day affair. It should be followed daily," the minister said.
Tirkey said efforts were on to get Dhoni's appointment in April. "Already we have message from Dhoni in our literacy and health campaigns. Efforts are on to involve him in a programme in April," the minister said.
Sachin Ala Re... Dhoni TOO
Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni thrill the crowds, on the field or off it. So when the people turned up in Pimpri-Chinchwad on Friday to felicitate the master blaster, who recently scored the highest Test runs and the captain-in-waiting Dhoni who, as the stand-in skipper, led India to victory over the Aussies in the Mohali Test, there was bound to be some fireworks.
Both were honoured with the traditional Maharashtrian pheta and a sword amid scenes of jubilation, as thousands turned up from every nook and corner of Pimpri-Chinchwad to give their heroes a standing ovation.
Tendulkar and Dhoni were in town for the inauguration of the Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy set up in association with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation at Thergaon.
There was one hitch though. The crowd was badly managed by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the city police. Rather than managing the crowd, they played crazy fans.
Chaos reigned during the hour-long stay of the ace cricketers at the venue. The moment they arrived at the gates of the stadium, all hell broke loose. A stampede-like situation prevailed for minutes. Over 300 shutterbugs, both professionals and amateurs, went on a clicking spree blocking their entry into the stadium. Even as the two were being led on stage, the jostling lensmen and local fans tried to keep pace. Some tripped and some got hurt, others just fell down by the side and were left out.
The volunteers appointed to help the security made life miserable for mediapersons. It was perhaps sheer providence that the two cricketers escaped unscathed.
There was more tamasha on stage. Alongside speeches, the corporators, MLC, civic officers and local heavyweights present, many with their children in tow, vied with one another to get their pictures clicked with the Cricket stars. There was a melee as autograph hunters too got on stage. After the show, the scene was replicated on the ground where the two went out to toss for the inaugural match between Maharashtra XI and Mumbai XI.
Thankfully, both Tendulkar and Dhoni kept their cool, smiling and signing autographs without any fuss. In fact, Tendulkar, who has Z-plus security cover, reportedly asked his security staff to remain in the vehicle.
And when it was their turn to speak, the two didn't let the crowd down....
“Namaskar,” said Sachin as the crowd of youth waiting for him since early morning went delirious. “Mehanat kara, phal jaror milel. (work hard, it will yield fruit),” he said while thanking the residents for the honour bestowed on the two.
Tendulkar said he was sure the academy would produce outstanding cricketers. He didn’t utter a word on the comment made by Adam Ghilchrist regarding the monkeygate incident.
With the colourful pheta in place, Dhoni, the Jharkhand boy, hoped the “academy will not only produce Ranji trophy cricketers, but also Test cricketers.”
Municipal Commissioner Asheesh Sharma played down the chaos during the visit. “Such things do happen... But overall, the function was very good. I was sitting next to Sachin and he sounded very happy. He was enquiring about the city and how the academy will be developed.”...
Both were honoured with the traditional Maharashtrian pheta and a sword amid scenes of jubilation, as thousands turned up from every nook and corner of Pimpri-Chinchwad to give their heroes a standing ovation.
Tendulkar and Dhoni were in town for the inauguration of the Dilip Vengsarkar Cricket Academy set up in association with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation at Thergaon.
There was one hitch though. The crowd was badly managed by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the city police. Rather than managing the crowd, they played crazy fans.
Chaos reigned during the hour-long stay of the ace cricketers at the venue. The moment they arrived at the gates of the stadium, all hell broke loose. A stampede-like situation prevailed for minutes. Over 300 shutterbugs, both professionals and amateurs, went on a clicking spree blocking their entry into the stadium. Even as the two were being led on stage, the jostling lensmen and local fans tried to keep pace. Some tripped and some got hurt, others just fell down by the side and were left out.
The volunteers appointed to help the security made life miserable for mediapersons. It was perhaps sheer providence that the two cricketers escaped unscathed.
There was more tamasha on stage. Alongside speeches, the corporators, MLC, civic officers and local heavyweights present, many with their children in tow, vied with one another to get their pictures clicked with the Cricket stars. There was a melee as autograph hunters too got on stage. After the show, the scene was replicated on the ground where the two went out to toss for the inaugural match between Maharashtra XI and Mumbai XI.
Thankfully, both Tendulkar and Dhoni kept their cool, smiling and signing autographs without any fuss. In fact, Tendulkar, who has Z-plus security cover, reportedly asked his security staff to remain in the vehicle.
And when it was their turn to speak, the two didn't let the crowd down....
“Namaskar,” said Sachin as the crowd of youth waiting for him since early morning went delirious. “Mehanat kara, phal jaror milel. (work hard, it will yield fruit),” he said while thanking the residents for the honour bestowed on the two.
Tendulkar said he was sure the academy would produce outstanding cricketers. He didn’t utter a word on the comment made by Adam Ghilchrist regarding the monkeygate incident.
With the colourful pheta in place, Dhoni, the Jharkhand boy, hoped the “academy will not only produce Ranji trophy cricketers, but also Test cricketers.”
Municipal Commissioner Asheesh Sharma played down the chaos during the visit. “Such things do happen... But overall, the function was very good. I was sitting next to Sachin and he sounded very happy. He was enquiring about the city and how the academy will be developed.”...
Dhoni Biography
Personal information
Full name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
D.O.B: 7th July, 1981
Place of Birth: Ranchi, Bihar
Nickname: Mahi
Cricketing information
Role: Captain of the Indian ODI and Twenty20 team and Vice captain of the Test team
Batting style: Right hand batsman
Bowling style: Right arm medium
Field position: Wicketkeeper
Clubs played: Jharkhand
Cricketing profile
Mahendra Singh Dhoni started his first class career in the year 1999-2000. His one day international debut came after playing five years of first class cricket on the 23rd of December 2004 against Bangladesh. The venue of the match was in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Unfortunately, he was run out on the first ball he faced. It wasn’t a great debut for him where batting is concerned. Luck wasn’t on his side in the first four matches he played. Where as on the fifth match which was played against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam, Dhoni came to the crease one down and managed to score 148 runs from just 123 balls. He hit 15 boundaries and four sixes. He got his first man of the match award that day. Not only a good wicketkeeper but Dhoni proved himself to be a first class batsman too. He is one of the few finest wicketkeeper batsman India has seen after a very long time.
On the 31st of October, Dhoni broke the record of highest runs scored by a wicket keeper by securing 183 runs against Srilanka which was played at Jaipur. Adam Gilchrist was the former record holder with 172 runs.
Before he started playing cricket, he was a football goalkeeper. Its said he drinks around four litres of milk everyday but he denied it by saying that has been exaggerated a bit. He said he loves milk and drinks around a litre on a daily basis.
On the 2nd of December 2005, Dhoni made his Test cricket debut against Srilanka which was played in Chennai, India.
Personal profile
Dhoni was born and brought up in the city of Ranchi. He has two siblings. A sister who is married and a brother who lives in Almora. Almora is a high-lying town at the foot of the Himalaya which is his father’s home town. His father’s name is Pan Singh and mother’s name is Devki Devi.
His hobbies and interests include:
* Hearing music, ghazals and songs by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar
* Loves to ride bikes
* Enjoys playing computer games and badminton
Not interested in:
* English songs
* Working out at gyms
Special qualities:
* Thinks positive
* Highly confident about himself
* Is aggressive on the field
His Idol:
* Adam Gilchrist
Full name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
D.O.B: 7th July, 1981
Place of Birth: Ranchi, Bihar
Nickname: Mahi
Cricketing information
Role: Captain of the Indian ODI and Twenty20 team and Vice captain of the Test team
Batting style: Right hand batsman
Bowling style: Right arm medium
Field position: Wicketkeeper
Clubs played: Jharkhand
Cricketing profile
Mahendra Singh Dhoni started his first class career in the year 1999-2000. His one day international debut came after playing five years of first class cricket on the 23rd of December 2004 against Bangladesh. The venue of the match was in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Unfortunately, he was run out on the first ball he faced. It wasn’t a great debut for him where batting is concerned. Luck wasn’t on his side in the first four matches he played. Where as on the fifth match which was played against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam, Dhoni came to the crease one down and managed to score 148 runs from just 123 balls. He hit 15 boundaries and four sixes. He got his first man of the match award that day. Not only a good wicketkeeper but Dhoni proved himself to be a first class batsman too. He is one of the few finest wicketkeeper batsman India has seen after a very long time.
On the 31st of October, Dhoni broke the record of highest runs scored by a wicket keeper by securing 183 runs against Srilanka which was played at Jaipur. Adam Gilchrist was the former record holder with 172 runs.
Before he started playing cricket, he was a football goalkeeper. Its said he drinks around four litres of milk everyday but he denied it by saying that has been exaggerated a bit. He said he loves milk and drinks around a litre on a daily basis.
On the 2nd of December 2005, Dhoni made his Test cricket debut against Srilanka which was played in Chennai, India.
Personal profile
Dhoni was born and brought up in the city of Ranchi. He has two siblings. A sister who is married and a brother who lives in Almora. Almora is a high-lying town at the foot of the Himalaya which is his father’s home town. His father’s name is Pan Singh and mother’s name is Devki Devi.
His hobbies and interests include:
* Hearing music, ghazals and songs by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar
* Loves to ride bikes
* Enjoys playing computer games and badminton
Not interested in:
* English songs
* Working out at gyms
Special qualities:
* Thinks positive
* Highly confident about himself
* Is aggressive on the field
His Idol:
* Adam Gilchrist
Captain Dhoni, an aberration in the age of super egos
Beyond the rustic charm, he has the style and dash of an urban hipster; beyond the innocent, wide-eyed look, he has a razor-sharp brain that quickly unravels the mysteries of the game, if not life itself.
Yes, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an aberration in the age of super egos and extra-sensitive souls: he doesn’t care if people make fun of him; he doesn’t mind if ads, highlighting his weaknesses, are made. He somehow manages to come out of even them looking chic and cool.
A long, long time ago, he arrived on the scene, swaying like a hippie: long hair, loud glares and almost-loud flares. Behind the stumps, he wasn’t smooth or invisible: he mostly jumped around, pouncing at every passing delivery like a frog; before them, he used his bulging biceps and brute power to bushwhack the bowlers.
Since then, of course, he steadily transformed into the fictional swan. The unruly mane made way for an elegant short cut; the collection became cleaner and minimalistic behind the stumps; the shots acquired a different kind of sheen and he wasn’t scared of defending anymore.
Beyond all that, however, a bigger transformation was taking place within: Dhoni was quietly moving up and becoming a leader. He didn’t really go down on his knees to study the pitches; he didn’t step into the minds of bowlers to understand their psyches either. He just towered over everybody else with his ice-cold demeanour and nerveless handling of tricky situations.
The world, especially India, didn’t give him a whit when he took a young side to the Twenty20 World Cup; he exploited the indifference to chart the country to the finals and more. In one stroke, he made India the champions and himself became the new darling of the country.
In victory, he was pure and dignified. But wasn’t there an element of fortune in the triumph? Did he get lucky with Joginder Sharma in the final over, not once but twice? The detractors were lurking with their sharpened tongues and poisoned pens.
Dhoni was ready though. As the ad world chased him, as Bollywood stars accepted him in their elite ring, he was evolving. The stroke-buster was making way for a steadier hand; he wasn’t going to risk all that he had gained in the name of high-entertainment, or a flurry of fours and sixers. He had crossed that stage a long time ago.
At home, against Australia, and even in the IPL, we saw his new dimension: he wasn’t just a ‘batter’er anymore; he was the captain and he put a bigger price on his wicket. He devolved most of the responsibility to his mates, encouraging them to carve out their own destinies. The fear factor around the Indian team slowly evaporated.
In Australia, he took the baton from Anil Kumble and led the side in an equally exemplary manner. The latter set the tone for a true-blue battle; but Dhoni took it to its logical conclusion: a first ever Tri-series triumph Down Under. There were defeats, even some embarrassments on the way. But the players were learning, growing.
It may just be a coincidence but one after the other, the seniors were fading out. Dravid and Ganguly made unceremonious exits; Tendulkar’s absence is not catastrophic anymore. Dhoni’s brand of cricket and his band of players were taking over. How long do they need to complete the ambush?
The signs were ominous in Sri Lanka. India got washed away in the Mendis storm; the masters of spin had no answers against his accuracy or Murali’s guile. If the Tendulkars and Dravids and Gangulys couldn’t master the tweaker, what chance did Dhoni have against them? The nightmare in Pakistan was still a fresh memory.
But Dhoni, who had broken every norm by pulling out of the Test series, had other designs. He unravelled the Mendis maze in his own way, leading from the front, scoring runs patiently and scripting an amazing turnaround. The series victory in the Emerald Isle was probably tougher than the one in Australia.
Clearly, the rustic has come a long way; given his record, he surely has a long way to go still. The big debate, however, has already started: Can he become any more cooler? Any more hipper? Indeed, is he ready for the Test captaincy too?
Yes, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an aberration in the age of super egos and extra-sensitive souls: he doesn’t care if people make fun of him; he doesn’t mind if ads, highlighting his weaknesses, are made. He somehow manages to come out of even them looking chic and cool.
A long, long time ago, he arrived on the scene, swaying like a hippie: long hair, loud glares and almost-loud flares. Behind the stumps, he wasn’t smooth or invisible: he mostly jumped around, pouncing at every passing delivery like a frog; before them, he used his bulging biceps and brute power to bushwhack the bowlers.
Since then, of course, he steadily transformed into the fictional swan. The unruly mane made way for an elegant short cut; the collection became cleaner and minimalistic behind the stumps; the shots acquired a different kind of sheen and he wasn’t scared of defending anymore.
Beyond all that, however, a bigger transformation was taking place within: Dhoni was quietly moving up and becoming a leader. He didn’t really go down on his knees to study the pitches; he didn’t step into the minds of bowlers to understand their psyches either. He just towered over everybody else with his ice-cold demeanour and nerveless handling of tricky situations.
The world, especially India, didn’t give him a whit when he took a young side to the Twenty20 World Cup; he exploited the indifference to chart the country to the finals and more. In one stroke, he made India the champions and himself became the new darling of the country.
In victory, he was pure and dignified. But wasn’t there an element of fortune in the triumph? Did he get lucky with Joginder Sharma in the final over, not once but twice? The detractors were lurking with their sharpened tongues and poisoned pens.
Dhoni was ready though. As the ad world chased him, as Bollywood stars accepted him in their elite ring, he was evolving. The stroke-buster was making way for a steadier hand; he wasn’t going to risk all that he had gained in the name of high-entertainment, or a flurry of fours and sixers. He had crossed that stage a long time ago.
At home, against Australia, and even in the IPL, we saw his new dimension: he wasn’t just a ‘batter’er anymore; he was the captain and he put a bigger price on his wicket. He devolved most of the responsibility to his mates, encouraging them to carve out their own destinies. The fear factor around the Indian team slowly evaporated.
In Australia, he took the baton from Anil Kumble and led the side in an equally exemplary manner. The latter set the tone for a true-blue battle; but Dhoni took it to its logical conclusion: a first ever Tri-series triumph Down Under. There were defeats, even some embarrassments on the way. But the players were learning, growing.
It may just be a coincidence but one after the other, the seniors were fading out. Dravid and Ganguly made unceremonious exits; Tendulkar’s absence is not catastrophic anymore. Dhoni’s brand of cricket and his band of players were taking over. How long do they need to complete the ambush?
The signs were ominous in Sri Lanka. India got washed away in the Mendis storm; the masters of spin had no answers against his accuracy or Murali’s guile. If the Tendulkars and Dravids and Gangulys couldn’t master the tweaker, what chance did Dhoni have against them? The nightmare in Pakistan was still a fresh memory.
But Dhoni, who had broken every norm by pulling out of the Test series, had other designs. He unravelled the Mendis maze in his own way, leading from the front, scoring runs patiently and scripting an amazing turnaround. The series victory in the Emerald Isle was probably tougher than the one in Australia.
Clearly, the rustic has come a long way; given his record, he surely has a long way to go still. The big debate, however, has already started: Can he become any more cooler? Any more hipper? Indeed, is he ready for the Test captaincy too?
A leader of men, Dhoni has transformed himself
It's almost as though people are standing in queue to hand Mahendra Singh Dhoni awards. First there was the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna - an award given to no cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar. Even less than halfway through his career, Dhoni was nominated, and the committee concurred. The likes of Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, all of whom have achieved more than Dhoni has at this stage, were never considered worthy of the honour.
Now, Dhoni has become the first Indian to win the International Cricket Council's ODI player of the year. The award is significant for it is a jury of peers that recognised Dhoni. The panel that put the Indian ODI skipper ahead of teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Nathan Bracken and Mohammad Yousuf included some of the most respected names in the cricket world. Clive Lloyd and Greg Chappell, both former international captains were joined by South Africa's Shaun Pollock, Sidath Wettimuny from Sri Lanka, Athar Ali Khan from Bangladesh and other prominent stakeholders, including a few from the media.
Dhoni's award is especially crucial because it is not merely recognition of a single swashbuckling performance or even a patch of good form with the bat. Sure, he managed 1298 runs from 39 ODIs at an average of 49.92 and a strike rate of 82.46, and cleaned up 62 dismissals behind the stumps in the voting period. But players have scored more runs and not been recognised as the best of the pack.
Dhoni's award is recognition of what he has done with the ODI team as captain. Forget the whispers of how he eased the "seniors" out of the side, the current ODI team is Dhoni's own. A first-ever tri-series win in Australia was followed up by India's first bilateral ODI series triumph in Sri Lanka.
This award is recognition of Dhoni's cricketing intelligence, the manner in which he reads a situation and a game. The role he is playing with the bat, floating up and down the order, and being the backbone of the batting, whether against pace and swing Down Under, or Ajantha Mendis in Sri Lanka, shows how well he is reading the flow of a one-day match. You would understand if a cerebral Dravid or a charismatic Ganguly won such an award for leadership. That it has gone to a street-smart wicketkeeper from Ranchi is a testament to the success Dhoni has brought to the Indian team.
It is this success that has won Dhoni complete control over a group of young cricketers who respect their captain and respond wholeheartedly to him. Only a few days ago, Gary Kirsten received a rap on the knuckles from the Board of Control for Cricket in India for suggesting that Dhoni was ready for the Test captaincy. At the moment, the need to put Dhoni in that hot seat has not arisen. And Dhoni, for one, is not clamouring for the job.
Not long ago, when Anil Kumble was handed the reins, it was because Dhoni was yet to establish himself as a certainty in the Test team. Now, he has won a Twenty20 World Cup, runs the ODI team almost unilaterally - with a little help from the selectors and support from the coaching staff - and is the first in line for Test captaincy.
Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, both vice-captains before Dhoni's arrival on the big stage, will wonder what more they could have done. Dhoni, need do no more, for it is only a matter of time before he gets the Test captaincy as well. When the Test captaincy - the biggest prize of them all - is handed to Dhoni, it will be just like the awards that have come his way, unsought, but certainly more than welcome.
Now, Dhoni has become the first Indian to win the International Cricket Council's ODI player of the year. The award is significant for it is a jury of peers that recognised Dhoni. The panel that put the Indian ODI skipper ahead of teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Nathan Bracken and Mohammad Yousuf included some of the most respected names in the cricket world. Clive Lloyd and Greg Chappell, both former international captains were joined by South Africa's Shaun Pollock, Sidath Wettimuny from Sri Lanka, Athar Ali Khan from Bangladesh and other prominent stakeholders, including a few from the media.
Dhoni's award is especially crucial because it is not merely recognition of a single swashbuckling performance or even a patch of good form with the bat. Sure, he managed 1298 runs from 39 ODIs at an average of 49.92 and a strike rate of 82.46, and cleaned up 62 dismissals behind the stumps in the voting period. But players have scored more runs and not been recognised as the best of the pack.
Dhoni's award is recognition of what he has done with the ODI team as captain. Forget the whispers of how he eased the "seniors" out of the side, the current ODI team is Dhoni's own. A first-ever tri-series win in Australia was followed up by India's first bilateral ODI series triumph in Sri Lanka.
This award is recognition of Dhoni's cricketing intelligence, the manner in which he reads a situation and a game. The role he is playing with the bat, floating up and down the order, and being the backbone of the batting, whether against pace and swing Down Under, or Ajantha Mendis in Sri Lanka, shows how well he is reading the flow of a one-day match. You would understand if a cerebral Dravid or a charismatic Ganguly won such an award for leadership. That it has gone to a street-smart wicketkeeper from Ranchi is a testament to the success Dhoni has brought to the Indian team.
It is this success that has won Dhoni complete control over a group of young cricketers who respect their captain and respond wholeheartedly to him. Only a few days ago, Gary Kirsten received a rap on the knuckles from the Board of Control for Cricket in India for suggesting that Dhoni was ready for the Test captaincy. At the moment, the need to put Dhoni in that hot seat has not arisen. And Dhoni, for one, is not clamouring for the job.
Not long ago, when Anil Kumble was handed the reins, it was because Dhoni was yet to establish himself as a certainty in the Test team. Now, he has won a Twenty20 World Cup, runs the ODI team almost unilaterally - with a little help from the selectors and support from the coaching staff - and is the first in line for Test captaincy.
Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, both vice-captains before Dhoni's arrival on the big stage, will wonder what more they could have done. Dhoni, need do no more, for it is only a matter of time before he gets the Test captaincy as well. When the Test captaincy - the biggest prize of them all - is handed to Dhoni, it will be just like the awards that have come his way, unsought, but certainly more than welcome.
IRON MAN OF INDIA
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is riding a crest of a wave. Within a year of taking over the reigns of Indian cricket in the shorter version of the game, this 27-year-old man from Jharkhand has piloted Team India to great heights marking himself out as a future Test captain as well.
For someone who expects nothing less than 100 % from his players, Dhoni shares a great chemistry with his colleagues and that bonding, that spirit is pretty evident in their body language on the field. His ability to stay cool under pressure and gambling instincts has drawn huge praise from his colleagues.
"Dhoni has done what no Indian captain has done before in winning the Twenty20 World Cup, winning a One-day series in Australia and beating Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. And he is getting better and better,"says Virender Sehwagone of the senior pros in the side. "He's very cool, calm and composed. His handling of pressure is exceptional. He takes responsibility and leads from the front. He handles the senior players well and he's truly a great guy to have as captain," adds Sehwag.
Ice-cool captain
Echoing similar sentiments was pace bowler Zaheer Khan. "He's an ice-cool captain with great self-belief and confidence. He's a captain who gives complete freedom to his players to express themselves. When the players have the faith, and backing, of their captain, they perform to the best of their ability. As a bowler, if I want an unconventional field, he will readily do it instead of debating it.
"He is someone who leads by instinct. For example, in the last series in Sri Lanka, we lost six to seven wickets chasing a low total in Dambulla. With not much support to come from the tail, I asked him to promote me which he did and we went on to win that game."
Unconventional but effective
If the seniors are pretty comfortable with Dhoni's leadership, the younger brigade too adore their captain.
"He's a hands-on captain and a very shrewd gambler. If he takes ten decisions which can go either way, somehow, he gets it right eight or nine times. That's the courage of conviction he has. As a fielder, I've realised that whenever he has put me in an unconventional position, I get a catch. So I would say he's a very smart captain," says Suresh Raina, who has flowered under Dhoni's guidance.
"Mahi gives you that confidence and he backs you to the hilt. He is someone who takes the team along with him like the head of the family. Off the field, he's a very bindaas person. He is also very humble and kind," explains Raina.
Leads from front
On his part, Irfan Pathan is only too keen to take a leaf out of Dhoni's book.
"Mahi leads from the front and by example. Just look at the way he has changed his game and evolved as a cricketer. "He lays a lot of stress on fielding and that's something that I admire. Another good thing about Mahi is that he's so relaxed under pressure. His body language, his positive attitude rubs off on all of us.
Leggie Piyush Chawla says, "He dares to be different and inspires the team to great deeds."
"He's a keen student of the game and observes everything closely from behind the stumps. Besides the usual encouragement, he comes up with tips that help the bowlers in a big way," reckons RP Singh.
Lo Tarzan Aa Gaya
During his early days, when he was playing first class cricket, Dhoni sported shoulder-length hair. Some of his opponents used that to sledge him. Whenever he walked out to bat, a few in the fielding side would scream 'Lo Tarzan Aa Gaya.'
You're not good enough: Just a year before Dhoni made his international debut, he wasn't considered good enough to represent his employers Railways. In fact, a selection committee headed by Diana Eduljee discarded him after watching Dhoni at the trials for a few minutes only because they had already made up their mind on picking another wicketkeeper.
Thanks, but no thanks: Soon after he was picked to play for India, the Railways selectors pleaded with him to play for the team, but he said a firm 'no'.
The zeroes in his bank-balance: As a young boy from a middle-class family, Dhoni's first big ambition in life was to save enough for a rainy day. And a cool '25-lakh rupees in the bank' was the target he set for himself to lead a luxurious life. Indeed, he has come a long way since then adding a few more zeroes to his bank account.
Doodh ka dhula: There's a misconception that Dhoni drinks a lot of milk. In fact, what he likes is flavoured milk. It may be a milkshake or a chocolate drink.
The sleeping star: As a professional cricketer, getting good sleep is a huge luxury. However, on his off-days, the first thing Dhoni looks forward to is to hit the bed and sleep for long hours.
Seven up: He considers 7 as his lucky number. He was born on the 7th day of the 7th month (July 7). When he made it into the Indian team, his elder sister, Jayanti, presented him a diamond locket with No 7 inscribed on it. Dhoni still carries his lucky charm with him, though it's not always that he wears it. Even his bikes have No 7 inscribed.
Lover of the beautiful game: Football was Dhoni's first love. And his favourite footballer is Portugal and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo. It's hardly surprising that he too wears a No 7 jersey.
Animal instinct: Dhoni's love for fast bikes and dogs has been well documented. But people will be pleasantly surprised to know that such is his love for his dogs that, when he is at home in Ranchi, he sleeps in the company of his favourite dogs in his bed.
The Dal-Chawal boy: A simple person that Dhoni is, he relishes dal and roti. Of course, if he can get hold of some chicken curry as well, he won't complain.
Sweet tooth or sweet jaw: When it comes to sweets, polishing off an entire bar of Cadbury chocolate is routine stuff for him. He also has a distinct liking for 'Sonpapdi', especially if one can get it from a particular shop in Dhaka.
Wired up: On tours, he is usually hooked onto his lap top during his spare time. Play Station I, II, III were his favourites. And it's his liking for computer games that has seen the younger players catch the 'virus'.
Shy? Who me? Dhoni started off as a very shy cricketer, one who would be cocooned in his hotel room once the day's play was over. However, much like his game, he evolved quickly as a person. And now he spreads warmth and sunshine with his overwhelming presence wherever he goes.
The Kishore-Lata fan: His liking for music is restricted to Indian stuff. He has a distinct liking for Hindi songs, most notably those rendered by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.
Being cool. It's in his jeans: He's not very choosy or particular about the clothes he wears. He's comfortable in whatever T-shirts or jeans he can lay his hands on. Even if his T-shirt is not ironed, he'll simply brush it with his hands and put them on. On special occasions, he won't mind ironing his clothes himself.
Well-grounded personality: An ice-cool person that he is, he was unbelievably relaxed the morning after India won the Twenty20 World Cup. "Sab Kuch Normal Rakhne Ka," he told this scribe at the breakfast table.
A Rahul fan: And his one big desire, along with a few other young members of Team India, was to meet Rahul Gandhi.
For someone who expects nothing less than 100 % from his players, Dhoni shares a great chemistry with his colleagues and that bonding, that spirit is pretty evident in their body language on the field. His ability to stay cool under pressure and gambling instincts has drawn huge praise from his colleagues.
"Dhoni has done what no Indian captain has done before in winning the Twenty20 World Cup, winning a One-day series in Australia and beating Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. And he is getting better and better,"says Virender Sehwagone of the senior pros in the side. "He's very cool, calm and composed. His handling of pressure is exceptional. He takes responsibility and leads from the front. He handles the senior players well and he's truly a great guy to have as captain," adds Sehwag.
Ice-cool captain
Echoing similar sentiments was pace bowler Zaheer Khan. "He's an ice-cool captain with great self-belief and confidence. He's a captain who gives complete freedom to his players to express themselves. When the players have the faith, and backing, of their captain, they perform to the best of their ability. As a bowler, if I want an unconventional field, he will readily do it instead of debating it.
"He is someone who leads by instinct. For example, in the last series in Sri Lanka, we lost six to seven wickets chasing a low total in Dambulla. With not much support to come from the tail, I asked him to promote me which he did and we went on to win that game."
Unconventional but effective
If the seniors are pretty comfortable with Dhoni's leadership, the younger brigade too adore their captain.
"He's a hands-on captain and a very shrewd gambler. If he takes ten decisions which can go either way, somehow, he gets it right eight or nine times. That's the courage of conviction he has. As a fielder, I've realised that whenever he has put me in an unconventional position, I get a catch. So I would say he's a very smart captain," says Suresh Raina, who has flowered under Dhoni's guidance.
"Mahi gives you that confidence and he backs you to the hilt. He is someone who takes the team along with him like the head of the family. Off the field, he's a very bindaas person. He is also very humble and kind," explains Raina.
Leads from front
On his part, Irfan Pathan is only too keen to take a leaf out of Dhoni's book.
"Mahi leads from the front and by example. Just look at the way he has changed his game and evolved as a cricketer. "He lays a lot of stress on fielding and that's something that I admire. Another good thing about Mahi is that he's so relaxed under pressure. His body language, his positive attitude rubs off on all of us.
Leggie Piyush Chawla says, "He dares to be different and inspires the team to great deeds."
"He's a keen student of the game and observes everything closely from behind the stumps. Besides the usual encouragement, he comes up with tips that help the bowlers in a big way," reckons RP Singh.
Lo Tarzan Aa Gaya
During his early days, when he was playing first class cricket, Dhoni sported shoulder-length hair. Some of his opponents used that to sledge him. Whenever he walked out to bat, a few in the fielding side would scream 'Lo Tarzan Aa Gaya.'
You're not good enough: Just a year before Dhoni made his international debut, he wasn't considered good enough to represent his employers Railways. In fact, a selection committee headed by Diana Eduljee discarded him after watching Dhoni at the trials for a few minutes only because they had already made up their mind on picking another wicketkeeper.
Thanks, but no thanks: Soon after he was picked to play for India, the Railways selectors pleaded with him to play for the team, but he said a firm 'no'.
The zeroes in his bank-balance: As a young boy from a middle-class family, Dhoni's first big ambition in life was to save enough for a rainy day. And a cool '25-lakh rupees in the bank' was the target he set for himself to lead a luxurious life. Indeed, he has come a long way since then adding a few more zeroes to his bank account.
Doodh ka dhula: There's a misconception that Dhoni drinks a lot of milk. In fact, what he likes is flavoured milk. It may be a milkshake or a chocolate drink.
The sleeping star: As a professional cricketer, getting good sleep is a huge luxury. However, on his off-days, the first thing Dhoni looks forward to is to hit the bed and sleep for long hours.
Seven up: He considers 7 as his lucky number. He was born on the 7th day of the 7th month (July 7). When he made it into the Indian team, his elder sister, Jayanti, presented him a diamond locket with No 7 inscribed on it. Dhoni still carries his lucky charm with him, though it's not always that he wears it. Even his bikes have No 7 inscribed.
Lover of the beautiful game: Football was Dhoni's first love. And his favourite footballer is Portugal and Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo. It's hardly surprising that he too wears a No 7 jersey.
Animal instinct: Dhoni's love for fast bikes and dogs has been well documented. But people will be pleasantly surprised to know that such is his love for his dogs that, when he is at home in Ranchi, he sleeps in the company of his favourite dogs in his bed.
The Dal-Chawal boy: A simple person that Dhoni is, he relishes dal and roti. Of course, if he can get hold of some chicken curry as well, he won't complain.
Sweet tooth or sweet jaw: When it comes to sweets, polishing off an entire bar of Cadbury chocolate is routine stuff for him. He also has a distinct liking for 'Sonpapdi', especially if one can get it from a particular shop in Dhaka.
Wired up: On tours, he is usually hooked onto his lap top during his spare time. Play Station I, II, III were his favourites. And it's his liking for computer games that has seen the younger players catch the 'virus'.
Shy? Who me? Dhoni started off as a very shy cricketer, one who would be cocooned in his hotel room once the day's play was over. However, much like his game, he evolved quickly as a person. And now he spreads warmth and sunshine with his overwhelming presence wherever he goes.
The Kishore-Lata fan: His liking for music is restricted to Indian stuff. He has a distinct liking for Hindi songs, most notably those rendered by Kishore Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.
Being cool. It's in his jeans: He's not very choosy or particular about the clothes he wears. He's comfortable in whatever T-shirts or jeans he can lay his hands on. Even if his T-shirt is not ironed, he'll simply brush it with his hands and put them on. On special occasions, he won't mind ironing his clothes himself.
Well-grounded personality: An ice-cool person that he is, he was unbelievably relaxed the morning after India won the Twenty20 World Cup. "Sab Kuch Normal Rakhne Ka," he told this scribe at the breakfast table.
A Rahul fan: And his one big desire, along with a few other young members of Team India, was to meet Rahul Gandhi.
Dhoni is India's most valuable ODI player
After winning the International Cricket Council's [Images] ODI Player of the Year 2008 award, it is not such a big surprise that Mahendra Singh Dhoni [Images] is also India's most valuable ODI player so far in the 2008-09 season.
However, the Indian ODI captain faces stiff competition from Virender Sehwag [Images]. In fact, Sehwag would have been an easy topper if he had been fit to play the India-Sri Lanka ODI series that ended recently.
Batsmen scoring a lot of runs at a good strike rate, bowler taking the most wickets at a good (low) economy rate and fielders taking the most catches or run outs, are seen to offer their teams the greatest "value". The most valuable player index (MVPI) collapses a player's all-round performance into a suitable 'run equivalent'.
India's MVP in the 2008-09 ODI season (14 matches so far)
Rank Player Runs Balls Strike Rate Bat Pts Bb Rc W Eco Bowl Pts Ct St Run Outs Field Pts M Total
1 MS Dhoni 608 689 88.2 641.8 0 0 0 - 0.0 20 3.5 187.5 14 829
2 Virender Sehwag 498 358 139.1 697.7 173 150 3 5.2 69.2 2 0 10 8 777
3 Suresh Raina 579 603 96.0 655.5 18 22 0 7.3 -7.0 7 1 60 14 709
4 Gautam Gambhir [Images] 504 511 98.6 582.2 0 0 0 - 0.0 4 1 45 13 627
5 Yuvraj Singh [Images] 366 401 91.3 397.8 234 198 4 5.1 97.0 2 0 10 13 505
6 Irfan Pathan [Images] 105 126 83.3 105.0 460 416 10 5.4 217.3 1 0 5 9 327
7 Praveen Kumar 16 25 64.0 11.2 495 417 11 5.1 270.5 3 0.5 27.5 10 309
8 Zaheer Khan [Images] 18 66 27.3 -19.0 278 144 9 3.1 312.7 0 0.5 12.5 5 306
9 RP Singh 4 14 28.6 -3.7 366 339 11 5.6 241.0 2 2 60 7 297
10 Rohit Sharma 247 350 70.6 202.3 83 42 0 3.0 27.2 3 1 40 14 270
11 Piyush Chawla [Images] 2 7 28.6 -1.8 322 295 11 5.5 248.3 1 0 5 6 252
12 Munaf Patel [Images] 20 17 117.6 25.8 246 166 7 4.0 214.0 1 0 5 5 245
13 Harbhajan Singh [Images] 17 44 38.6 -2.7 178 113 6 3.8 185.3 1 0.5 17.5 4 200
14 Pragyan Ojha 27 46 58.7 15.7 258 173 5 4.0 167.0 3 0 15 5 198
15 Ishant Sharma 8 19 42.1 0.2 396 385 8 5.8 145.0 2 0 10 7 155
16 Virat Kohli 159 239 66.5 118.8 0 0 0 - 0.0 3 0.5 27.5 5 146
17 Yusuf Pathan 28 41 68.3 21.8 234 193 3 4.9 77.0 4 0.5 32.5 7 131
18 Manpreet Gony 0 0 - 0.0 94 76 2 4.9 52.3 0 0 0 2 52
19 Robin Uthappa 37 61 60.7 23.2 0 0 0 - 0.0 0 0 0 3 23
20 S Badrinath 39 87 44.8 5.5 0 0 0 - 0.0 2 0 10 3 16
Runs (scored) | Balls (faced) | Strike rate | Bat-pts: Batting points | Bb: Balls bowled | Rc: Runs conceded | W: Wickets taken | Eco: Economy rate | Bowl-pts: Bowling points | Ct/St: Catches taken / Stumpings | Run outs (participated) | Field-pts: fielding points | M: Matches played | Total (points) = sum of batting, bowling and fielding points | *Run outs are counted as 1 (wicket) for a direct hit, and 0.5 (wicket) if the fielder is an equal participant in a run out dismissal.
Dhoni was also voted the Player of the Series in the five-match series against Sri Lanka [Images], presumably for his two crucial half-centuries and his 'cool' captaincy, that largely contributed to India's series victory.
But Sri Lanka's Thilan Thushara must consider himself a trifle unlucky to miss this honour, because he was, without a doubt, statistically the best performer of the series.
It was also a series in which the bowlers ruled, with the top six players all being bowlers. Perhaps the fact that Dhoni was the highest run-getter on these batsmen-unfriendly pitches also tilted the scales in his favour.
However, the Indian ODI captain faces stiff competition from Virender Sehwag [Images]. In fact, Sehwag would have been an easy topper if he had been fit to play the India-Sri Lanka ODI series that ended recently.
Batsmen scoring a lot of runs at a good strike rate, bowler taking the most wickets at a good (low) economy rate and fielders taking the most catches or run outs, are seen to offer their teams the greatest "value". The most valuable player index (MVPI) collapses a player's all-round performance into a suitable 'run equivalent'.
India's MVP in the 2008-09 ODI season (14 matches so far)
Rank Player Runs Balls Strike Rate Bat Pts Bb Rc W Eco Bowl Pts Ct St Run Outs Field Pts M Total
1 MS Dhoni 608 689 88.2 641.8 0 0 0 - 0.0 20 3.5 187.5 14 829
2 Virender Sehwag 498 358 139.1 697.7 173 150 3 5.2 69.2 2 0 10 8 777
3 Suresh Raina 579 603 96.0 655.5 18 22 0 7.3 -7.0 7 1 60 14 709
4 Gautam Gambhir [Images] 504 511 98.6 582.2 0 0 0 - 0.0 4 1 45 13 627
5 Yuvraj Singh [Images] 366 401 91.3 397.8 234 198 4 5.1 97.0 2 0 10 13 505
6 Irfan Pathan [Images] 105 126 83.3 105.0 460 416 10 5.4 217.3 1 0 5 9 327
7 Praveen Kumar 16 25 64.0 11.2 495 417 11 5.1 270.5 3 0.5 27.5 10 309
8 Zaheer Khan [Images] 18 66 27.3 -19.0 278 144 9 3.1 312.7 0 0.5 12.5 5 306
9 RP Singh 4 14 28.6 -3.7 366 339 11 5.6 241.0 2 2 60 7 297
10 Rohit Sharma 247 350 70.6 202.3 83 42 0 3.0 27.2 3 1 40 14 270
11 Piyush Chawla [Images] 2 7 28.6 -1.8 322 295 11 5.5 248.3 1 0 5 6 252
12 Munaf Patel [Images] 20 17 117.6 25.8 246 166 7 4.0 214.0 1 0 5 5 245
13 Harbhajan Singh [Images] 17 44 38.6 -2.7 178 113 6 3.8 185.3 1 0.5 17.5 4 200
14 Pragyan Ojha 27 46 58.7 15.7 258 173 5 4.0 167.0 3 0 15 5 198
15 Ishant Sharma 8 19 42.1 0.2 396 385 8 5.8 145.0 2 0 10 7 155
16 Virat Kohli 159 239 66.5 118.8 0 0 0 - 0.0 3 0.5 27.5 5 146
17 Yusuf Pathan 28 41 68.3 21.8 234 193 3 4.9 77.0 4 0.5 32.5 7 131
18 Manpreet Gony 0 0 - 0.0 94 76 2 4.9 52.3 0 0 0 2 52
19 Robin Uthappa 37 61 60.7 23.2 0 0 0 - 0.0 0 0 0 3 23
20 S Badrinath 39 87 44.8 5.5 0 0 0 - 0.0 2 0 10 3 16
Runs (scored) | Balls (faced) | Strike rate | Bat-pts: Batting points | Bb: Balls bowled | Rc: Runs conceded | W: Wickets taken | Eco: Economy rate | Bowl-pts: Bowling points | Ct/St: Catches taken / Stumpings | Run outs (participated) | Field-pts: fielding points | M: Matches played | Total (points) = sum of batting, bowling and fielding points | *Run outs are counted as 1 (wicket) for a direct hit, and 0.5 (wicket) if the fielder is an equal participant in a run out dismissal.
Dhoni was also voted the Player of the Series in the five-match series against Sri Lanka [Images], presumably for his two crucial half-centuries and his 'cool' captaincy, that largely contributed to India's series victory.
But Sri Lanka's Thilan Thushara must consider himself a trifle unlucky to miss this honour, because he was, without a doubt, statistically the best performer of the series.
It was also a series in which the bowlers ruled, with the top six players all being bowlers. Perhaps the fact that Dhoni was the highest run-getter on these batsmen-unfriendly pitches also tilted the scales in his favour.
Captain Speaks t20WC win
The victorious Indian Captain had some interesting answers to questions posted to him after India's historic victory in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20.
- Monday, September 24, 2007
Mahi, how do you feel now?
I feel very good.
Do you think this team is in need of a coach now?
No comments.
Is it fair to say that you as captain and Yuvraj as vice-captain is the beginning of a new chapter in Indian cricket?
If you analyze, the captain and the vice-captain haven't done anything in this tournament. Players who were granted with responsibility delivered out there in the field. There isn't a single batsman who didn't score runs in the tournament. Similarly, there isn't a bowler who hasn't delivered the goods. The efforts in the outfield were tremendous. It was a team effort. Yuvraj, of course was brilliant and so was RP Singh. Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh have made good comebacks to the side. I think everyone in the side was special and the best part was that players lived up to the expectations of the team.
How would you compare this conquest with the 1983 World Cup triumph?
I didn't watch the 1983 World Cup since I was two years old back then. I am not sure how big the sport was in the country back then and the enormity of the coverage and media. I have said it before and I say it again – I live in the present. We have received great support from our entire support staff. Especially after a two and a half months of gruelling cricket in England and another fifteen days here. So, hats off to them for preparing good practice sessions for us and ensuring that we were fresh every time we hit the park. We didn't rush into hard practice sessions. The planning by the support staff was great; teams tend to get carried away but we were fresh and able to give 100% in each and every match. I do not believe in comparisons – I think 1983 was special and this is very special too.
Is this your dream or destiny? Also, do you think that you have made up for disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign?
Talking about destiny, I don't think success is achievable until you put in the hard work. I think the individuals who made the difference to this victory will cherish these moments forever. This wasn't just my destiny but the entire team's.
The match was like a roller-coaster. First your team's batting... and then were you worried when Misbah-ul-Haq was all guns blazing?
Look, we knew they didn't have too many batsmen left. Arafat and Misbah were batting but we knew that a few wickets would swing the game back in our favour. I was confident that our chances of victory would increase as and when the game would get closer. The bowlers did really well defending a low total of 157, especially since they were off to a flying start. We did well in the outfield, like we have done throughout the tournament – averaging at least one run-out per match.
You still believe an Indo-Pak encounter is just another match?
Well it was just another match. It was special, no doubt, especially since it was the final match of a world championship. But, I still feel approaching it as ‘just another match' helps and that's exactly how my team dealt with the match.
MSD on his Fans and Education!!!
'It's A Lose-Lose Situation'
Going through the security check, people stop you for autographs/photographs. If we don't pose for photographs, they'll think we're arrogant. If we do, we can cause delays
How do you handle your fans in Ranchi?
When I land in Ranchi, there's a queue of people outside my house, asking for autographs or wanting me to pose for photos. It's very tough. If you sign just a couple of autographs, others are grievously disappointed. It's better not to sign a single one. And if you are signing, sign at least 15-20, so that no one goes back unhappy.
Is fame a difficult thing to handle?
It is. At times, you're irritated. Normally, we're the last passengers to board the plane. Going through the security check, people stop you for autographs/photographs. The plane gets delayed and the passengers blame us for the delay. If we don't pose for photographs, they'll think we're arrogant. If we do, we can cause delays. It's a lose-lose situation for us.
Come on, it surely feels good as well.
Yes, but you also feel embarrassed. Imagine, you're coming from a long practice session. You have your pads on, two bats in one hand, and your keeping gloves in the other. Then a child stops you for an autograph and you have to put everything down. And if you don't, the kid will think he's such an arrogant man...
Of Cheques And Balances
As national icon, fame and fortune are his. Still, M.S. Dhoni makes a dash for academics.
A day before the start of the Bangalore Test, relaxing in the heavily guarded hotel, Mahendra Singh Dhoni talks about the unreasonable demands some fans make. "People don't make an effort to get into your shoes," he sighs. But that's not an easy task for ordinary mortals like us dragging through our dreary lives—how can we ever know what a Tendulkar goes through? For us, the actions of those who call fame their own are often inexplicable, however mundane the causes. Take Dhoni. He wants to be a graduate—isn't that absurd? He's fabulously successful, intelligent, articulate and wealthy.
Of what use to a man such as him could a scrap of paper certifying a degree in Bachelor of Commerce be?
"The reason is very simple," Dhoni grins, as he talks about having enrolled himself for a graduate course at Ranchi's St. Xavier's College.
"I want to be at least a graduate." For him, it's a degree of respectability, something that only education can confer. And Dhoni is unwilling to go through life without it. "When I have children and when they go to school and say that my father is an undergraduate, it won't be nice," he says.
Perhaps it's his small-town origins that have led him to consider college. Son of a migrant from Kumaon who started a new life in Ranchi as an unskilled worker, Dhoni was taught about the value of education. Yet, studies were not of overriding importance to him in Ranchi's DAV school, because cricket consumed much of his time.
He wasn't, anyway, the type who leapt to their feet to answer questions. He studied when he had to, before exams. "In 10th I got 66 per cent, in 12th 56 per cent—it's up to you to judge how good or bad I was!" Dhoni smiles. "I started playing cricket, my class attendance declined, and it got very tough to catch up."
Perhaps a graduate degree has a salience for famous men from small-town India that we in metros can't comprehend.
For instance, fast bowler R.P. Singh, also from cricketing backwaters, intends to acquire an MBA. As Singh checks his mail on Dhoni's laptop, the Indian ODI captain teases the pace bowler: "He's going to take his degree from MIT (the Massachussetts Institute of Technology in the US)."
As a student, Dhoni himself never aimed that high—he was enrolled in Ranchi's Gossner College for an accountancy honours course. During his first-year exams he started to play professional cricket. "After that, I never got an opportunity to take any exams," Dhoni chuckles. Respectability apart, his belated return to college also testifies to his desire for a fuller life, to not be unidimensional. And time, he says, is running out. "These are the last few years," the 27-year-old says. "I don't want to do it when I'm 34-35. It'll be embarrassing!"
Dhoni is aware that his footprints carry more weight than others, that he could be an example to millions. "There are loads of children who are my fans and it will be a motivational thing for them, to learn that I'm also thinking about studies," he says. "Getting a degree is not merely about getting a degree or studying—it's about wanting to study, doing well in life. It's an important part of life." You could also take a corollary view: wouldn't Dhoni's return to college inspire the proverbial bookworm to walk down to the nearest playground? "There are people who are good at studies but not sports— but they should play some sport to keep fit," Dhoni explains. "They don't really want to be a Leander Paes or a Tendulkar, but sport is essential."
However, Dhoni's return to the classroom hasn't enthused all. For instance, at Gossner College, where Dhoni captained the cricket team, there's some heartburn that he's chosen a rival college. "All we can do is wish St.Xavier's best of luck," Siddharth Kumar Ecka, the principal, told a newspaper.
Dhoni hastens to dismiss the possibility of such collegiate envy. "It's not a fight among two colleges," he says. "The good thing is that I'm still doing my graduation from Ranchi and people should be happy!"
So, is Dhoni as keen a reader as, say, Rahul Dravid is? "It's like, I don't like reading, but at the same time I like reading—because of the subject," he says cryptically. And perhaps because I look a tad confused, he explains, "I'm not a very keen reader of books, I read only things that interest me." Physics doesn't interest him; chemistry he abhors—"I won't even turn the cover page!"
What he reads often is literature on defence. "Army, navy, air force—I'm keen to read about all that," Dhoni declares. "War history, war strategy, ammunition, weapons. I often carry books on these topics." Cricketers, great travellers all of them, can be great readers too—Rahul Dravid or Sunil Gavaskar, for example. Is this useful when playing the game? "What's good for a Dravid may not be good for a Praveen Kumar," Dhoni says. "Every human being is different."
And Dhoni himself will have to be different from other BCom students to secure his degree. The college has exempted him from attending classes as much for the hectic cricketing schedule as for security reasons. He will be supplied detailed study notes to prepare for his studies. For him, we suppose, it would be back to playing the slog overs, so to speak.
"Attending classes may not be possible from a security point of view," Dhoni says. "I mean mobbing, not attacks etc. The students will be distracted, normal schedules would be affected." Ideally, he'd like to visit the college at least once a year, and interact with students. "Perhaps it could be a motivational class...I'm not their age, you know." And one whose ledger balance, till now, accounts for scores settled on the green.
Going through the security check, people stop you for autographs/photographs. If we don't pose for photographs, they'll think we're arrogant. If we do, we can cause delays
How do you handle your fans in Ranchi?
When I land in Ranchi, there's a queue of people outside my house, asking for autographs or wanting me to pose for photos. It's very tough. If you sign just a couple of autographs, others are grievously disappointed. It's better not to sign a single one. And if you are signing, sign at least 15-20, so that no one goes back unhappy.
Is fame a difficult thing to handle?
It is. At times, you're irritated. Normally, we're the last passengers to board the plane. Going through the security check, people stop you for autographs/photographs. The plane gets delayed and the passengers blame us for the delay. If we don't pose for photographs, they'll think we're arrogant. If we do, we can cause delays. It's a lose-lose situation for us.
Come on, it surely feels good as well.
Yes, but you also feel embarrassed. Imagine, you're coming from a long practice session. You have your pads on, two bats in one hand, and your keeping gloves in the other. Then a child stops you for an autograph and you have to put everything down. And if you don't, the kid will think he's such an arrogant man...
Of Cheques And Balances
As national icon, fame and fortune are his. Still, M.S. Dhoni makes a dash for academics.
A day before the start of the Bangalore Test, relaxing in the heavily guarded hotel, Mahendra Singh Dhoni talks about the unreasonable demands some fans make. "People don't make an effort to get into your shoes," he sighs. But that's not an easy task for ordinary mortals like us dragging through our dreary lives—how can we ever know what a Tendulkar goes through? For us, the actions of those who call fame their own are often inexplicable, however mundane the causes. Take Dhoni. He wants to be a graduate—isn't that absurd? He's fabulously successful, intelligent, articulate and wealthy.
Of what use to a man such as him could a scrap of paper certifying a degree in Bachelor of Commerce be?
"The reason is very simple," Dhoni grins, as he talks about having enrolled himself for a graduate course at Ranchi's St. Xavier's College.
"I want to be at least a graduate." For him, it's a degree of respectability, something that only education can confer. And Dhoni is unwilling to go through life without it. "When I have children and when they go to school and say that my father is an undergraduate, it won't be nice," he says.
Perhaps it's his small-town origins that have led him to consider college. Son of a migrant from Kumaon who started a new life in Ranchi as an unskilled worker, Dhoni was taught about the value of education. Yet, studies were not of overriding importance to him in Ranchi's DAV school, because cricket consumed much of his time.
He wasn't, anyway, the type who leapt to their feet to answer questions. He studied when he had to, before exams. "In 10th I got 66 per cent, in 12th 56 per cent—it's up to you to judge how good or bad I was!" Dhoni smiles. "I started playing cricket, my class attendance declined, and it got very tough to catch up."
Perhaps a graduate degree has a salience for famous men from small-town India that we in metros can't comprehend.
For instance, fast bowler R.P. Singh, also from cricketing backwaters, intends to acquire an MBA. As Singh checks his mail on Dhoni's laptop, the Indian ODI captain teases the pace bowler: "He's going to take his degree from MIT (the Massachussetts Institute of Technology in the US)."
As a student, Dhoni himself never aimed that high—he was enrolled in Ranchi's Gossner College for an accountancy honours course. During his first-year exams he started to play professional cricket. "After that, I never got an opportunity to take any exams," Dhoni chuckles. Respectability apart, his belated return to college also testifies to his desire for a fuller life, to not be unidimensional. And time, he says, is running out. "These are the last few years," the 27-year-old says. "I don't want to do it when I'm 34-35. It'll be embarrassing!"
Dhoni is aware that his footprints carry more weight than others, that he could be an example to millions. "There are loads of children who are my fans and it will be a motivational thing for them, to learn that I'm also thinking about studies," he says. "Getting a degree is not merely about getting a degree or studying—it's about wanting to study, doing well in life. It's an important part of life." You could also take a corollary view: wouldn't Dhoni's return to college inspire the proverbial bookworm to walk down to the nearest playground? "There are people who are good at studies but not sports— but they should play some sport to keep fit," Dhoni explains. "They don't really want to be a Leander Paes or a Tendulkar, but sport is essential."
However, Dhoni's return to the classroom hasn't enthused all. For instance, at Gossner College, where Dhoni captained the cricket team, there's some heartburn that he's chosen a rival college. "All we can do is wish St.Xavier's best of luck," Siddharth Kumar Ecka, the principal, told a newspaper.
Dhoni hastens to dismiss the possibility of such collegiate envy. "It's not a fight among two colleges," he says. "The good thing is that I'm still doing my graduation from Ranchi and people should be happy!"
So, is Dhoni as keen a reader as, say, Rahul Dravid is? "It's like, I don't like reading, but at the same time I like reading—because of the subject," he says cryptically. And perhaps because I look a tad confused, he explains, "I'm not a very keen reader of books, I read only things that interest me." Physics doesn't interest him; chemistry he abhors—"I won't even turn the cover page!"
What he reads often is literature on defence. "Army, navy, air force—I'm keen to read about all that," Dhoni declares. "War history, war strategy, ammunition, weapons. I often carry books on these topics." Cricketers, great travellers all of them, can be great readers too—Rahul Dravid or Sunil Gavaskar, for example. Is this useful when playing the game? "What's good for a Dravid may not be good for a Praveen Kumar," Dhoni says. "Every human being is different."
And Dhoni himself will have to be different from other BCom students to secure his degree. The college has exempted him from attending classes as much for the hectic cricketing schedule as for security reasons. He will be supplied detailed study notes to prepare for his studies. For him, we suppose, it would be back to playing the slog overs, so to speak.
"Attending classes may not be possible from a security point of view," Dhoni says. "I mean mobbing, not attacks etc. The students will be distracted, normal schedules would be affected." Ideally, he'd like to visit the college at least once a year, and interact with students. "Perhaps it could be a motivational class...I'm not their age, you know." And one whose ledger balance, till now, accounts for scores settled on the green.
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