Hits and Misses of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story

“The man you know.. The journey you don’t” MS Dhoni: The Untold Story promises to take you through the journey of India’s limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and how he made his way to the top. It builds up from the day he first wore the wicket-keeping gloves to the day he hit the most iconic shot in Indian cricket. Dhoni wasn’t born in a sporting family nor did his father who was a pump operator encourage him to pursue a career in sports. In fact, he can be heard in the movie saying, “Khel khud apni jagah hai, lekin padhoge likhoge toh kisi layak banoge” which means playing sports is at its place but only if you do well in your academics you will become successful. He wasn’t the conventional one, he did what he thought was right, followed his heart, took bold decisions and in the end, on the sheer power of his hard work managed to pull it off. Here we take a look at the hits and misses of the biopic. Hits: 1. Stand for what you believe: (Photo Source: YouTube) Right from the start he knew he wasn’t an ordinary kid, he had something special in him and he was there to make it big and grow out of mediocrity. It wasn’t an easy road, he was hit so many times that one might have considered quitting but Dhoni fought and fought until he achieved what he had aimed for. He had to first ask himself what was it that he wanted to do. Not just that he also had to convince his father and family to support him. Imagine if young Mahendra hadn’t had enough courage to stand against his father and quit his Railways job, India and world cricket would have been deprived of such a magnificent talent. 2. Appreciate your opponents: Herry Tangiri plays Yuvraj Singh in MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. (Photo Source: Twitter) Another aspect that is brilliantly shown in the movie is how he wasn’t put down by the outcome of the match if a player from the opposition was too good on that day. First, in the local game with 5 runs needed off the last ball, he asked the bowler to bowl it into the legs of the batsman – Santosh Lal who used the Slap Shot (better known as Helicopter Shot) to hit the ball for a six and win the match. Dhoni’s team lost but he went ahead to befriend Santosh and learned the shot from him and used it at various stages in his career with excellence. So much so that it has become his signature shot. The second incident was when Bihar was playing Punjab in the Cooch Behar Trophy. Batting first Bihar scored 357 runs and when the Punjab team came out to bat, after losing one wicket, skipper Yuvraj Singh walked out, he absolutely pummeled the Bihar bowlers and scored 358 runs, one run more than the entire Bihar team to win that game for Punjab. Here as well Dhoni wasn’t disappointed that they lost but was full of praises for the way Yuvi played at took his team to victory. 3. Look for a way out of tricky situations: (Photo Source: Youtube) He was picked for a corporate tournament and his school exams coincided with the dates of the tournament. But there was a sleek window and Dhoni made the best use of it. He finished his 3 hours exam in 2 and a half hours, then his friends took him to the railway station, he took a passenger train, changed into his cricket kit on the train and then ran his way from the station to the ground. It would’ve been more convenient to drop either of it, but he had to study for his father’s happiness and was determined to not compromise his cricket for that sake. Another major low was when he was denied an opportunity to play the Duleep Trophy due to the lethargic attitude of the association. It was a huge moment since that could have well-turned things around for him but that didn’t quite happen. He was disappointed but once again decided to fight and we all know he emerged on top. 4. Take risk: (Photo Source: Youtube) The first risk he took was when he picked sports over education to make a career out of it. In the conventional Indian society, no parent would want his child to think of sport as a career and take it easy with studies. He had to double up the effort, study and then go out to practice; he was ready for working extra hours but never wanted to drop off something he was passionate about. His talent took him through; he had a job with SAIL where they paid him a stipend and allowed him sufficient time to practice. He switched over to Central Coal Fields Limited on insistence of Deval Sahay who was an influential character in the story. They paid him four times the stipend to play for them and he switched. Probably the biggest risk he took off the cricket field was to quit his job with the Indian Railways and give himself a year to keep cricket as the only focus in his life and see how far he can reach. It paid off and by the end of the year, he was already a part of the Indian team. 5. If you have a wider perception criticism won’t deter you: (Photo Source: Youtube) He was appointed the captain for the first time for the T20 World Cup in 2007. He played with a young team, most of the boys weren’t really the biggest names in Indian cricket and the format was new on its own, still they managed to script history. Dhoni probably learned and realized a few things in his brief captaincy career and aimed to implement long-term plans for the team. Ahead of the CB Series in Australia, 2008 he was asked for his opinion about the type of team he wants to play with and he said there are three players who are slow fielders and they would pull the team back. All three of them were established names and even the selectors were reluctant to make that big a chance which as per them would have huge implications. Dhoni was firm that if they wanted to target the 50-overs World Cup in 2011 they had to start building the team from that very moment. He was given a comparatively younger team that was agile on the field and they did not just win the CB Series but also the World Cup 2011. Dhoni was criticized for dropping the senior players and not showing respect but since the only thing on his mind was to develop a team that can win the biggest glory for the country he didn’t care about immediate criticism and went ahead with the bold decision. 6. Friendship: (Photo Source: Youtube) He was not alone. Dhoni had friends who helped him sneak through the tough times. He had three friends – Santosh, Chintu and Chittu who stood by him through thick and thin. They helped him as much as they could to see him realize his dream of playing for India. Dhoni on his part has never let the change in his life affect his friendship. Santosh the guy who taught him the Helicopter Shot is no longer among us when Dhoni got to about his illness he ensured he was treated well but he couldn’t survive. He still shares the same bond with Chintu and Chittu. Misses: 1. Facts were tweaked: (Photo Source: Youtube) Not just the fans but every critic fell in love with the first part of the story. But the second part, most felt was a little stretched with more emphasis on his love stories and the songs were termed unnecessary as well. On their part, the makers tweaked a few facts as to how and when Dhoni met Priyanka and also the date of her accident. Whereas the location of his meeting with Sakshi was correct, they changed the year and build the entire scene up where she didn’t know who Mahendra Singh Dhoni was. In fact, Sakshi and Dhoni went to the same school where the cricketer was 7 years senior to her. Both the families hailed from Ranchi and knew each other. 2. No mentions of his brother: MS Dhoni with his elder brother Narendra Singh Dhoni – on right (Photo Source: DNA) Right from the first scene where Pan Singh Dhoni is at the hospital during Dhoni’s birth only his elder sister was shown as the other sibling in the family. There is no mention of his elder brother Narendra Singh Dhoni except from the credits where he was thanked. It was reported in the past that the family has cut ties with Narendra who is a member of the Samajwadi Party having earlier been a part of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He lives separately with his wife and two children. 3. Dhoni the skipper: (Photo Source: YouTube) One of the most striking aspects of MS Dhoni’s character is his calmness in unfavorable situations and his man management skills. The way he makes the best use of the available players and motivates them to enhance their game further and become match winners for the team. In his junior days, right from the school to the state team, he had never led a team. He was just the wicketkeeper-batsman but when the opportunity of leading the Indian team was presented to him at the T20 World Cup we all know how masterfully he handled the task. After the victory in South Africa it was for anybody to guess that Dhoni was to be handed over the captaincy in all the formats gradually. 4. Cricketing relations: India cricketers Suresh Raina (L) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (R) watch as Yuvraj Singh (C) plays a shot during a training session at The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on February 24, 2011. India will face England in match 11 of the Cricket World Cup in Bangalore on February 27. (Photo credit PRAKASH SINGH/AFP/Getty Images) It is well known that he has some dear friends in the team. Right from Yuvraj Singh, RP Singh, Suresh Raina to Ravichandran Ashwin have been very close to him. We have also heard of incidents when he was initially bullied in the team but he won over them and soon became everyone’s favorite. And there are the bitter ones as well with the senior players who he no longer saw as a part of the team and a few of them to date feel it was Dhoni who dropped them from the team and brought their careers to a standstill. If the makers could have cared to drop some light on his relations with other cricketers, an insight into his life as a cricketer would have delighted the viewers even more.

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Hits and Misses of MS Dhoni: The Untold Story

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