That’s the way, Mahi way!

Lot is being said and written about the way Mahendra Singh Dhoni is batting in the past few months. People are not stopping from criticising Dhoni and his ‘approach’ towards using his willow.

These are the same people who used to go bonkers over the man’s batting skills and approach earlier. They seem to have made an agenda to ‘pressurise’ Mahi take the eventual call (of quitting). Considered as one of the best finishers in the game, this Gentleman has given India some of the memorable victories which we cricket lovers will cherish for life.

From inaugural T20 World Cup title to 2011 World Cup after a gap of 28 years to Champions Trophy to many series wins, he has given us all with his brilliant captaincy and never-say-die attitude. Now since he is approaching the fag end of his career, why this hullabaloo about this batting style and approach?

He has been a true leader and always put team’s interest ahead of his personal goals. He always took some bold decisions which paid rich dividends. Some people have started a ‘campaign’ to malign his reputation. This is not new to Indian cricket. We have seen such malicious tactics in the past when people used their ‘freedom of expression’ to lodge verbal attacks on those who gave their blood and sweat for the Indian cricket.

Even the legends like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Mohd Azharuddin and others had to phase similar criticism at the end of their illustrious careers. And the best part is these critics use the language that ‘hurts’ a lot and completely ruins the reputation of the greats. Mahi seems to be going the similar way. The outspoken critics are leaving no stone unturned to pressurise MS take the eventual call of hanging his boots and putting his bat down. He has already ‘obliged’ them by quitting the longest form of the game. And now these people want his head in other formats too. This besides the man proving his fitness again and again by completing the yo yo test with high points. This test seems to be the highest fitness criteria for any cricketer to be eligible to represent the country.

The point here is why are we indulging in such antics? Let the man enjoy his game as long as he wants. His contributions have been exemplary and difficult for future players or captains to match. Known for taking some bold and surprising decisions, Mahi will himself say goodbye when he feels its time. Till then, let the guy play his favourite shots that made him famous. That’s the way Mahi, go on. We want you to continue entertaining and amusing us with your helicopter shot.

Of imagining sporting successes without surprises!

The ongoing FIFA World Cup has been throwing surprises after surprises with the kind of results being produced. Who could have imagined an early tournament loss to mighty Messi’s Argentina? Or would the world have imagined a group-level exit for the current world champions? Such surprises are not new to the sporting world since we have seen many upsets and twists in various sporting events in the past. The biggest and the foremost that comes to my mind is India’s cricket world cup winning campaign of 1983. Considered as ‘underdogs’, the team referred to as ‘Kapil’s Devils’, gave an exemplary performance to beat ‘strong’ teams enroute to winning the final against defending champions Windies. This performance of Team India surprised the entire cricketing world and won several accolades. This form was carried forward by the team by winning Benson & Hedges Cup in 1985-86 under the leadership of Little Master. Ravi Shastri’s prized holding of Audi (then considered as car owned only by the elite) came as a shock to the world and helped Indians cement their position of ‘world dominating’ team across the globe. The other sporting surprises came during 1987 Wimbledon final when two underdogs and new entrants on professional circuit—Kevin Curran and Boris Becker—played the scintillating final, particularly eventual winner Boom Boom Becker with his unmatchable reflexes and power serves. The spring of surprises continued in the world sports thereafter too. Argentina’s quarterfinal win against England in 1986 World Cup finals, thanks to Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’, helped the team claim coveted world champions title while Sri Lankan team’s extraordinary performance in the 1996 cricket world cup took the Lankan Lions into top bracket of the cricketing world. Till then, the team was struggling to make its own mark in the global scenario. Coming back to 2018 FIFA World Cup, the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, the Germans and the Spanis have to book an early return flight owing to their losses in the round of 16. These defeats not only shook the world, but also put a question mark on the future of some sporting geniuses. Are we in for more surprises in the tournament as it enters quarterfinal stage? Only time will answer the question. Till then, we just have to remain glued to our television sets and enjoy the ‘beautiful game’ and applaud the performances of some of the up and coming stars such as Suarez, Mbappe, Frietzmann and Neymar. There are many astonishing and surprising results which were not mentioned by me. The point here is not about mentioning them, but to advocate for some magic wands being waved in the sporting arenas world over since ages. And how these delightful results provide opportunity for an ‘out of the box’ thinking to the sports lovers. Happy Viewing!