Dhoni is the Obama of Indian Cricket!

Mahindra Singh Dhoni has transformed Indian Cricket the way Barack Obama has transformed American politics. This 27 years old young man from Ranchi, Bihar is as cool as Barack Obama under pressure. He is a rare all-rounder that Indian cricket has seldom seen. Kapil Dev is the only other Indian cricketer that comes to mind. But here is the big difference, Dhoni is a wicket-keeper and has a much better sense of the situation than Kapil Dev ever had being a bowler-batsman. But the bigger implication is Dhoni’s personal background. Kapil Dev came from a relatively affluent background and a much richer state. Mahindra Singh Dhoni was born in Bihar, the poorest state of India and with least amount of sports infrastructure. To compound the problem Ranchi became a part of Jharkhand State an even poorer entity.

When Kapil Dev led the team-India, it was an urban sport dominated by Bombay-Delhi cricketers. Dhoni has inspired the rural youth of India with his unpretentious small-town disposition. I have never been to Bihar or Jharkhand but still it is not difficult to imagine the boost that Dhoni’s elevation as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team must have provided to the youth in those states. Bihar, Orissa and now Jharkhand have not produced too many national cricketers since the Indian Independence. It is not the people’s fault that their political leadership has ignored the development of these and many other North-Indian States. Every Dhoni and Mohammad Kaif would become a development symbol of their respective state in the time to come. Dhoni is an unusually aggressive cricketer because of his State.

Not so shy Dhoni in a Pepsi Ad

The decency of a boy from Bihar!

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the current captain of the Indian Cricket Team, was born on July 7, 1981 in Ranchi, Bihar (now Jharkhand). His parents, Pan Singh and Devaki Dev moved from Almora District of Uttarakhand to Ranchi before he was born. This kid from Ranchi had the decency to honor his former captain Sourav Ganguly, to let him lead the team in the last few overs in the last test between India and Australia in Nagpur, Maharashtra. How many former Indian captains have had the brains to do the same? Dhoni, affectionately called ‘Mahi’, is very much like Sourav Ganguly who always played for the team. These two Indian Cricketers are not concerned about their own records but have led their teams to win the matches, unlike a few who play for themselves and their egos. Indian cricket is in good hands for the next few years!

‘Mahi’ (M S Dhoni) is not exactly a rare talent for cricket. He is genuinely a good person at heart and therefore a good captain for the Indian cricket team. India has 600,000 villages and there is plenty of talent out there. The village kids have tremendous stamina and could produce international athletic talent. All they need is encouragement and decent facilities to be groomed by experienced coaches. India’s bureaucracy has deliberately neglected our rural talent because of their inherent snobbery. Credit must go to entrepreneurs like Subhash Chandra of Zee TV, who has not only scouted the small towns and villages for musical talent but sports talent as well. It is a matter of time before BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and other sports bodies join the search. Indian sports has a bright future!

Sachin Tendulkar is the only Marathi left…

There was a time when the Indian Cricket Team was dominated by cricketers from Maharashtra, specially from Bombay. Today, Sachin Tendulkar is the only Maharashtrian left in Team India. It is a matter of months before he too retires and then there would be no Marathi representation from the state. Does that mean that Raj Thackeray would not allow any cricket matches to be played in Bombay’s Brabourne Stadium or Wankhede Stadium unless there are a certain percentage of Marathis in the team? Even if Munaf Patel and Rohit Sharma are in the team, they are not the sons of the soil! The point I am trying to make is that we are one country and one people. Sachin Tendulkar is the pride of all India and not just Maharashtra!

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar was born on April 24, 1973 in Bombay, India. His father Ramesh Tendulkar, a Marathi novelist, named Tendulkar after his favorite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar attended Sharadashram Vidyamandir (High School), where he began his cricketing career under the guidance of his coach and mentor, Ramakant Achrekar. Sachin wanted to be a fast bowler but Australian pace bowler Dennis Lillee discouraged him to do that. Instead, Lillee urged Sachin to focus on his batting. On December 11, 1988, aged just 15 years and 232 days, Tendulkar scored 100 not-out in his debut first-class match for Bombay against Gujarat, making him the youngest cricketer to score a century on his first-class debut.