Dhoni - Small town boy to the man who led a team to victory

An everyday man who went on to be popularly known as the ‘Captain Cool’ is none other than our very own Indian Men’s (ODI & T20Is) Cricket Team Captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni or simply known as Dhoni.        
  

MS Dhoni, the player and the captain, has been eulogised in every possible way. The small town boy from Jharkhand with the long locks who came from nowhere to lead a second string Indian team to win the first T20 World Cup. The extraordinary finisher who was able to win cricket matches that seemed as good as lost for even the most optimistic Indian cricket fan. The punter who promoted himself in a World Cup final ahead of a teammate who was on a purple patch, sealing it with a nonchalant six that left Wankhede, India and the whole cricket fraternity gasping for breath.

Inspirational Start

There was once a time when the Indian Cricket Team was simply filled with the city kids. Due to excellent infrastructure and good scope for the game in cities, many small town boys would not succeed defeating them in the Ranji Trophy. But this man proved it all wrong. MSD had seen a dream, which many feared to see.

Source: zeenews.india.com

Hailing from a very small town of Ranchi, Dhoni dared to dream and with courage and guts make that dream a reality. Since a very young age, he idolized Sachin Tendulkar who is known as the God of Cricket and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan. He started his career as a Ticket Collector in Indian Railways. His hard work and never-give-up spirit finally landed him in International Cricket in 2003.

Becoming a Sensation and Captaincy

Dhoni was not only known for his cricket but was also very popular for his lengthy wavy hair style. In fact, it had then become a trend that every boy in the country now wanted to adorn the “Dhoni Hairstyle”.

Source: sports24hour.com

Dhoni started making rounds for his cool attitude – something we all most aspire to emulate. We would find him with a smile even in the toughest of games. This calm attitude of his landed him as the Captain of the team. He had not only made his dream of playing alongside his idol Sachin a reality but had become his captain.

In 2007, he led the team a whopping victory in ICC T-20 World Cup. He continues to inspire the younger generation with his brilliant captaincy, and out of the box thinking. The upcoming movie ‘Dhoni – The Untold Story’, is Bollywood’s tribute to his genius. You can watch the trailer here if you have not already.

MS Dhoni, the player and the captain, has been eulogised in every possible way. The small town boy from Jharkhand with the long locks who came from nowhere to lead a second string Indian team to win the first T20 World Cup. The extraordinary finisher who was able to win cricket matches that seemed as good as lost for even the most optimistic Indian cricket fan. The punter who promoted himself in a World Cup final ahead of a teammate who was on a purple patch, sealing it with a nonchalant six that left Wankhede, India and the whole cricket fraternity gasping for breath.

           He was always the one to shun the               limelight, but never the one to shun the                               responsibility.

                   Such is his legend that the stories can seem never-ending.

But despite all the hero worship, there continued to live a man who never grew too big for his boots. For me, that is the abiding legacy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Always the one to shun the limelight, but never the one to shun the responsibility. The belief that he could get the job done and making it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

What made this extraordinary was that he was never the most talented of cricketers. His technique would make the puritan cringe. He wasn't a game changer in the Richards/Sachin /AB de Villiers mould. But his reading of the game and his understanding of his strengths along with the determination to take things to closure trumped these shortcomings.

As a leader, through his own example, he was able to raise the self-confidence of his team. The team was no longer solely relying on its superstars to win a match. It could be Raina, Yuvraj, Jadeja, Zaheer, even Joginder Sharma who could be the person taking the team home on a given day. He also was able to create an inclusive environment where he got the best out of aging superstars (Sachin, Sourav, Rahul, Laxman) while still investing in the young Turks (Virat, Rohit, Raina, Jadeja). That he was able to do it without attracting jealousy or creating bad blood was again remarkable as the shenanigans that accompany decision-making in leadership positions (especially in our part of the world) is well documented.

"His reading of the game and his understanding of his strengths along with the determination to take things to closure trumped these shortcomings [as a cricketer]"

Finally, all that MS Dhoni achieved during his captaincy, he achieved with a smile. Ever since Australia started dominating international cricket, most fans started believing in the "Australian way" of playing and winning as a blueprint of success. The template consisted of intimidating opponents with a version of aggression that was unlikely to win friends but likely to win cricket matches.

Dhoni was a breath of fresh air. He let his bat do the "mental disintegration" of the foe. He did not need to speak to bowlers, who he was swatting across the park, but India still won.

I do not know what the future holds for him. Will the freedom from the pressures that come with captaincy give him a new lease of life as a player? Will he able to adjust to Virat's fire and brimstone brand of captaincy? Will he try to return as the swashbuckling batsman that he once was or be the glue that binds a fragile middle order? I suspect even Dhoni doesn't know. At least, in a definitive way. But what I do know is that the dignity that he brought to the role surpassed even the rich silverware that will adorn the cabinet. For this, fans like me will forever be thankful. MSD—I couldn't make a movie about you to express my gratitude. Words and words are all I have....\His cool is now legendary, but has there ever been a captain with greater situational awareness than him?

 

Let me put it this way: If you are ever in a survivalist situation – lost in the Amazon, stuck in the Himalayas, or abandoned in some post-apocalyptic scenario – you may wish to be in the company of MS Dhoni. He will know how to make fire with sticks and stones; he will know how to hunt fish and fowl with bow and arrow; he will know where to find edible roots and berries, where to dig for water in the desert, and which is a mirage and which is an oasis.

Occasionally he will fail, as he has faile

Reasons Why There’ll Only Ever Be One Mahendra Singh Dhoni

1. And he has also won us the Champions Trophy.

2. Despite being a wicketkeeper-batsman, he's also bowled more times than any other keeper in international cricket: 9 times.

3. Under him, we also became No. 1 in Tests.

Source: Rediff

4. He hits sixes like this.

 5. And this one!

6. He's not one to steal the limelight. Try spotting him in this image.

7. He knows the difference between rivalry and sportsmanship.

8. He's a true ambassador of the gentleman's game.

9. He's calm under pressure.

10. Because he puts India before everything else.

This is when he was asked if he would return mid-series from Australia to attend the birth of his daughter, Ziva.

In the shorter and shortest format of the game there is no greater genius than M.S. Dhoni. Street smart does not even begin to describe him. He is galli smart, bylane smart, alley smart. He is the cleverest, most resourceful man in the mohalla. English terms do not do justice to his ingenuity. The apt word is chaalu. He can get you out of jam, spirit you out of a cul-de-sac, or spring you out of jail. He is like a card sharp who can pull out a trump card or a joker almost at will, and you will never know if he did it with a sleight of hand or through sheer weight of his command.