5 MS Dhoni traits that inspire us the most

Mahendra Singh Dhoni comes from a humble Indian middle-class background. He didn’t go to a high-tech academy to learn his cricket, didn’t have the best of facilities and exposure nor the super fine cricket kits we see these days. He was nowhere in the scene in his under-19 years, didn’t have a popular coach to back him, tell people what this long haired dude was capable of. Despite all that and more Mahendra from Jharkhand, a state never known for its cricket has scripted unparalleled success for himself and Indian cricket. For those who have followed him, it’s not just his cricket that makes them admire MS Dhoni, there is a lot more. The values he learned in his growing years can be seen in his approach in life and cricket. Though he isn’t very popular among the masses for he is accused of being the reason behind the exit of some of Indian cricket’s greats. But they have time and again stood by him and clarified, it was the team he was taking decisions for and on most occasions he made the right calls. Be it the legend Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid or even Sourav Ganguly for that matter have all at various points backed Dhoni as the captain and what he has done for Indian cricket. He hadn’t seen most luxuries in life; his father Pan Singh held a junior management position in a PSU. He earned his living while still in the first half of his 20s and today when there is no material luxury beyond his reach MS Dhoni continues to relish the basic simplicities of life. He is under the spotlight while playing for India but once he is not serving the team it isn’t easy even for the media to learn what he is up to. A very private person keeps his on-field emotions and off-field engagements to himself and those who matter to him. Dhoni has over the years not just inspired people with his cricket but a lot more. And here I try to list out the 5 things about MS Dhoni that inspire us the most. 1. Rise to the top: India were crowned World T20 champions in 2007. (© Getty Images) He made his debut for India in December 2005 and before he completed two years in international cricket was already appointed the captain of the Indian Twenty20 side. Dhoni wasn’t deterred by the challenge, rather shouldered the responsibility. He led that bunch of young cricketers to World Cup success while literally nobody thought they could. Achieving something as big as that isn’t possible unless you have concrete faith in your abilities. Dhoni though was young as a skipper at that point was successful in instilling that belief in his team. Each and every individual from that squad knew they were on a mission and that if they could, then it would change the rest of their lives and inscribe their names in the history of cricket as the first team to lift the T20 World Cup. Small names put up stupendous performances. Those rookies’ concurred moments where the seasoned campaigners can lose their nerves to write history. Come the World Cup 2011 and he was leading team India in a World Cup for the second time. Playing at home with possibly the most experienced side, there was pressure, this time, there were expectations, billions were watching and millions were praying. They needed to win it and they did. All the players including Sachin Tendulkar were at the highest point in their career. He was handed over the trophy and he just took it to pass it on to his team; they deserved it all not just the skipper. 2. Grounded approach: MS Dhoni. (© Getty Images) A lot of cricketers have seen a sudden rise to fame. The cameras start to flash around, all that you do is covered round the clock and each move makes news. Brands eager to capitalize on this sign up as the face – fame, money and lifestyle are all at the highest standard. While we have seen quite a few slip down the valley from being close to the summit Dhoni did all that and still maintained himself. He built a bungalow in Ranchi, stayed in the best five-star hotels, traveled first class, bought super luxury cars and the superbikes but kept his feet down on the ground. It’s important to realize everything that you have is by virtues of your on-field success. If you maintain that these things will stay along for the longest duration or crash overnight otherwise. Dhoni’s rise didn’t take a decade and in no time he was declared the richest Indian cricketer. The most popular brands wanted him to endorse them and he did. But nothing came in the way of his performances. Series after series, tournament after tournament he refined his batting, wicket keeping and captaincy. Being unorthodox Dhoni had his own style of doing everything. He developed it further to master them. With growing age, he has put in more effort on his fitness. Trains harder at the gym to retain the strength he is known for. Coming from a small town he has once again proved that you can sustain the stay at the top if you have your feet on the ground and in Dhoni’s case they are deeply rooted. 3. Success: Border Gavaskar Trophy. (Photo Source: BCCI) The most successful Indian wicketkeeper, the best finisher and the captain who has brought most wins. If Indian cricket is divided into an age where a package as complete as him is sought we can easily split it into Pre-MS Dhoni, MS Dhoni and Post-MS Dhoni era. We had seen wicket-keepers and batsmen who were technically better but were never able to effect as many dismissals or finished as many games. Captains more tactical, aggressive and experienced but weren’t able to bring as much success. One man who has not only aced in one aspect of the game but all that he performed definitely deserves a special mention. He achieved the success that he has because that was not what he was aiming for. He wanted to win games for the team. He wanted the glory for the nation. He kept the interests of the team ahead of his personal goals and thus what came in came in as a by-product. 4. Ability to handle adversities: Skipper MS Dhoni and batsman Ajinkya Rahane unvielded the Rising Pune Super Giants jersey for IPL 2016. (Photo Source: Twitter) Captaining the Indian team isn’t one of the easiest jobs and doing that across formats makes it even tougher. Even if he hasn’t expressed the level of stress he has to manage, the graying hair certainly has. He led the Indian team in Tests following Anil Kumble’s retirement in 2008 to the point he himself hung his gloves in 2014. Has been at the helm of the ODI and T20I teams since 2004 and 2006 and looks fit enough to play the 2019 World Cup. Dhoni’s game wasn’t suited the best for Test cricket which is also the most challenging format. He found it difficult yet played 90 Test matches and could have easily played 100 maybe not as the captain but definitely as a player. But he called it a day when it appeared to him that the team he was building is capable enough to work around even without his support and that a young leader in Virat Kohli was ready and eager to wear the captain’s cap and take the team ahead. The journey in ODI and T20 cricket hasn’t been the smoothest. He hasn’t had the resources in the bowling department good enough to execute the winning plan at his disposal and same was the problem when India lost a series of Tests overseas. No captain apart from MS Dhoni could have survived the 8-0 drubbing but he did and never thought of giving up. Tough times test tough people. From winning the World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013 India lost the first bilateral ODI series to Bangladesh in 2015. They lost the tri-series in Australia just ahead of the World Cup 2015 and there were little hopes from the Men in Blue. Yet he picked up the bits he had in hand, inspired and transformed the same bowling attack that looked toothless into one that bowled out all the opponents before they ran into Australia in the semi-final and were eventually eliminated. Asia Cup success and World T20 semi-finals are the latest achievements and the most recent Zimbabwe tour was his attempt to share his insight and experience with the next gen. The players who will serve Indian cricket for the next 5 or even 10 years. 5. A giver: MS Dhoni. (© Getty Images) Those who believe they have achieved something in life and that is because of the opportunity they got also believe in giving it back. He was awarded the chance to show the world what he is capable of. He had a bunch of seniors around who shared their experiences, who told young Mahendra what they had learned in all the years they spent serving Indian cricket and today the 35-year old is doing exactly the same. Over the years he has defied logics in backing a particular player who hasn’t had the best of skills. But that has also unearthed match winners for Team India. Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina even Ishant Sharma have all enjoyed the captain’s backing and these six names amongst many have won India matches on their own. In the IPL as well he has handpicked players and they have delivered for him. Be it Ashwin in the first few seasons, or Jadeja, Joginder Sharma, Shahdab Jakati, Murali Vijay (who still has the Test tag), Jason Holder (now West Indies skipper in all formats), Mohit Sharma, Pawan Negi they were all not so recognized players but he gave them the platform to showcase their talent at a crucial situation and yes they delivered. The cycle of the universe is incomplete until you give back what you have got and we have seen legends pay back this overdraft before they walk off and that is when it is called a complete performance.

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5 MS Dhoni traits that inspire us the most

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