Captain Courageous' Mahi-Way!

Mahatma Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Ratan Tata, Barack Obama, Arnab Goswami, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, … One common thread running through all these names is that they all are (were) courageous! Besides, of course, being legends & leaders! And, as you must have guessed it by now, I am a great fan of them all! …

These are just a few names that I have mentioned here but there are many more – many many many more! - from India and rest of the world, contemporary and historical, spanning the entire spectrum of Life who have stood apart from the crowd - but always with the crowd; they all have been bold and brave and, thus, true leaders!

And I salute each of these leaders! And I also salute all those nameless and faceless people – commonly called ‘common man’ / ‘aam-aadmi’ – who have displayed courage in their life and have stood for their ideology and along the way have inspired themselves and others in their sphere to do just what they had always wanted to do – just like the way the world leaders from all walks of life, sports included, have motivated people since the time immemorial!

Watching Mahendra Singh Dhoni lead India to lift the most prized possession in the world of cricket, famously called The Cup That Counts and bring back the most coveted of the silverware in a trophies-chest after 28 long years with his masterstroke of an innings of 91n.o. when India looked shaky from the early exit of stalwarts like Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar said a lot about the man! In spite of so-called not being in his “true form” during the tournament with bat – I say, he was in full form with his captaincy! – he took that bold step of coming out at No.4 when the chips were down for India – and the stakes were pretty high. I cannot imagine any other captain being his ‘natural’ courageous self when India’s possible monumental loss could have got pinned on his shoulders for ever if his strategy had backfired! He looked his usual self i.e. calm and determined from the first go; he remained focused even under intense pressure; and he set out to play the much needed “Captain’s Knock” and steered India the Mahi-way to the victory! And when he hit that huge winning SIX, the nation cheered and cried simultaneously! And then like a true leader he slipped out of the glare and let his team savour the moment! (In no photograph taken on the ground with the cup you will see him clearly.) His ability to handle such momentous moments is supremely humble which is simply awesome!

It was an enormous emotional moment for the entire country. To see a super cool captain Dhoni trying to hide his tears from the cameras was indeed overwhelming! (I couldn’t control my tears.) And who can ever forget tears rolling freely out of legendary Sachin’s eyes (I can hear Sachin say: “I had a dream…!”) and Yuvraj’s, Bhajji’s and almost every member of the winning team adding to the collective pool. Those “Tears of Joy” made the entire country cry with happiness and relief and the satisfaction of getting to hold the Ultimate Cup, again, and being crowned as the Cricket Superpower! … Let the Celebrations continue! …

The most remarkable dimensions of his personality – character is the most apt word – are his trademark brutal honesty and straightforward streak! His beautiful smile on his handsome face (long hair/short hair/no hair: he looks as admirable as always!) radiates his core the best! His ability to stick to his principles and values and beliefs even under trying circumstances is almost unprecedented and infectious; and, his greatness to be able to remain rooted in spite of being a “super successful” and a “super rich” sporting icon in today’s times of glamour and glitz is incredible; remember, he is Indian cricket’s favourite poster boy! His leadership of guts and gutsy decisions – gut instincts! – are aspects of his being that are hugely inspirational! His unshakeable inner calmness with an equally strong confident exterior which he reflects is amazing! He commands respect from all, to say the least. Let us not forget that most of the members of the present team have played under erstwhile captain; it was Dhoni becoming the captain which made them perform at their best.

Let us not forget that he doesn’t come from any “cricketing nursery” – the so-called big towns – where cricket is considered a serious career option and have necessary cricketing ambiance and facilities. What is extraordinary about his constitution is that in spite of this he has been able to carry his team and its individual egos – comprising of seniors and juniors and contemporaries - forward as the most successful captain – and a formidable cricketer - of the most successful Indian cricket team ever! Mahi is a magical leader! 20-20; 50-50; ODI No.1; Tests No1; what next, Mahi?!

Today, if MSD is called Midas Singh Dhoni, then let’s accept the fact “fortune favours the brave”!

(Keep up your courage, Captain MSD! And, a huge THANKS, Mahi and your formidable team (especially Sachin, Sehwag, Yuvi, Bhajji, Zaheer, Kohli, Nehra, and …) along with Guru Gary and the entire support staff, for bringing the Cricket World Cup back to India!)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a study in himself! …

May God be with MSD, as always J

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Honi ko anhoni karde, anhoni ko honi!...

Aur kaun, but our Captain Courageous Dhoni! J

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Besides cricket per se, another highlight of the just concluded – and conquered! – cricket world cup has been the transformation of Sonia Gandhi. After Uncle Rajiv’s death, she seemed to have gone into her cocoon in spite of being in the public life as a political leader. It was a pure delight to see her enjoy India’s win over Pakistan in Chandigarh! She looked living her life, finally! And, yesterday night, watching her come out in an open jeep to be amongst the celebrating crowd cemented her “coming of”! … Keep it up, Sonia Aunty :)

MSD: from Captain Cool to Captain Lost?

“Where’s the party tonight?” kept resonating in everybody's mind while watching IPL-3 matches – viewers’ included! After all, the IPL-3 initially got more publicity - notoriety - for its “famed” post matches parties, gaining equal prominence at par with matches! The tamasha would have carried on but for its own creator’s "mid-match" crisis! Lalit Modi’s midnight tweets revealing Shashi Tharoor’s ‘personal’ interest in the formation of the IPL Kochi team put a "strategic break" in between! And all hell broke loose thereafter!

Here, we need not discuss the aftermath again. Already a lot of time and space – in media and mind – have been devoted to debating the unfolding of the IPL sordid saga.

Today, we discuss the aftermath of India’s debacle in the T20 World Cup. The guns are out for the players, and rightly so. As expected, BCCI is hell bent on deflecting the entire blame on the captain. Mahender Singh Dhoni is receiving the maximum flak for India’s disappointing play.

Well, MSD has proven himself to be the most successful of the cricket captains that India has had so far. His cool demeanour coupled with his supreme control over his team and himself has endeared him to the Indian cricket lovers across all age groups and sections of the society. He is hugely regarded as the Captain Cool by one and all!

Then what went wrong with MSD at the T20 WC? Why did he behave in the manner he did? Why was he seen as being uninterested and casual in his actions and responses? Why was he deemed to have an arrogant body language - very unlike him? Well, why did he give all those silly excuses and attributed his team’s dismal performance to the post match IPL parties? …

The questions are many. And we need to dissect them threadbare. After all, a lot get invested in cricket in India: not only enormous amount of money and time but also deep emotions. It is believed that for an Indian cricket fan, cricket is almost a religion – though I find this clichéd explanation a bit boring.

So, without digressing, let us debate if MSD should be made the fall guy? Should he be seriously reprimanded for his poor captaincy or be removed from the post? Should he be also sacked – rested, as BCCI would like to put it – like a few of the out-of-form senior players?

I say: reprimand him; give him an ultimatum; but do not remove him from the captain’s post. Because, this is not how cricket should be administered in India. And, then how can BCCI shirk all its responsibilities and hold one man – the captain – responsible for the entire fiasco in the Caribbean? Aren’t the officials of the cricket controlling body equally to be blamed for the team’s cheerless show? Isn’t it the BCCI who had planned team India’s itinerary and had scheduled IPL competition so near to the T20 WC? Parties or no parties, the fact remains that players are bound to get fatigued after such a hectic tournament, that too just prior to the T20 WC!

Let us not be unfair to Mahender Singh Dhoni. Though he for sure was out-of-form as far as his manners and actions are concerned in the West Indies, but he remains the best player to lead the team India in future as well. No one else is even closely as capable as MSD to handle the challenges of captaincy. Give him time.

MSD, hope you are listening. Please get back to your original self soon. We cannot afford to have you as the ‘Captain Lost’ for long.

MSD, I am sure you will bounce back as our Captain Cool :)