| Sachin - Dhoni |
The two names that will resonate with every Indian cricket fan for ages to come.
From worshipping Sachin to helping his own idol to live the dream of his life, what a journey Dhoni has had!
The whole sequence reminded me of Hanuman helping Raama. The ‘God of Cricket’, himself creating a disciple like MS to achieve his long-awaited dream. Dhoni, with Sachin as his inspiration and helping him (Sachin) achieve his World Cup aspiration.
*Sachin was the one, who recommended Dhoni for captaining India, and the rest is history*
There was Dhoni for Sachin, to live his escaping dream. Same way, Dhoni needs someone too.
The trust he showed on players i.e., the likes of modern day greats (Virat and Ro). Offering Ro a chance to open the innings, and all those extra chances he gave to Kohli, despite his string of low scores are now paying off well for Team India.
From my understanding of Dhoni, he always wanted the Indian side to be an invincible one. He expects the team to play like how the late 90s Australian side dominated the game. One fine example that can support this perspective is when he asked his team not to celebrate hard, when India defeats Aussies in their own backyard. He wanted the world to know that his side can beat any team, even when they play away from home. He made sure that Aussies does not see this as just a failure, but he wanted them to know that it will continue and, it did as they went on to clinch the series.
The strong messages that were passed on that day were:
* 'Nobody will celebrate on the balcony once we win this match.' (This is to the dressing room)
* Meanwhile, in the middle - to Ro, he said and I quote, "When they give their hand, just firmly hold yours out without holding it like an obligation, but don't overdo it. And, just stare blankly at them, without any hint of excitement."
All this came from a guy who had just captained the ODI side for only 15 games by then.
MS was grooming a pack of fearless cricketers. He wanted his side to play with a fearless mindset. He brought the team almost close to that frame of mind. Now likes of King Kohli, Hitman Ro, Gabbar (Shikhar), Pandya, Bhuvi and Bumrah are helping MS live his vision of 'Team India, The Invincible'. The team now, has players who can put up a great show, irrespective of the opponents and conditions.
Last two years showed the cricketing world, how dominating Team India can be.
Now we are just a step away for the world to accept that we are the best.
Remember the scenes, after winning the World Cup in 2011? Who would forget the sight of Kohli hoisting the greatest Sachin on his shoulder?
Virat Kohli summed up the scenes in the best possible way: "Sachin Tendulkar has carried the burden of the nation for 21 years. It is time that we carry him on our shoulders. Chak de, India!"
Even now I get goosebumps, while I write this. Such were the words!
Maybe this will be the biggest desire I develop, as I am writing this now. I want India to win this World Cup and repeat those respect scenes for MSD this time, which had been shown to Sachin in the past, after winning that 2011 WC Final.
Just imagine this, Virat saying, "He (MS) had won and handed over many trophies to the team. Now, it is time for us to hand him back one.
I wish for this as a birthday gift for Mahi!
Team India, do it for the fans!
Make it happen for MS, for one more time!
#ThalaTurns38 #CaptainCool #HappyBirthday!
Credits: S Sai Vasudev
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