Dhoni - A Inspiration by Jai Vanvari

Dhoni - A Inspiration

This article is very special to me and I have done a lot of research on Dhoni to write this. This article is dedicated to all the fans of MS Dhoni.

 “The Luck Factor”

Dhoni led India to the cup in World T20 2OO7, World Cup 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013.

With him as their captain, CSK won have won 2 IPL titles besides qualifying for 6 IPL finals in 8 seasons.

Still people left, right and center call him lucky. Media called him- ‘lucky dude with flowing hair’ during his early years of captaincy. It is not just ‘Dhoni’s luck’ that has steered India to great heights. What has taken him so far is what he has got in him.

So I am going to talk about what Dhoni has got him today-

The Big A- Attitude

Hailing from a small town in Ranchi, Dhoni had to face many adversaries. The cricketing facilities in Ranchi were poor. Still Dhoni had the flair for turning his limitations into positive streaks by simply not letting them stand in his way.

“I believe in seeing the positive side of the story. For me, it was a time to rest and watch a lot of TV. Spend time with my family and friends and play with my dog.” - Dhoni commented this after missing out on the Asia Cup 2014 due to injury. Perception is very important in life.

M-Magnificent Leader

A leader is the one who stands by his teammates. Players like Mohammad Shami and Shikhar Dhawan had said that it is Dhoni’s backing that has enabled them to perform well.

He is a great motivator. He does not simply impact the game from the striker’s end but also from the non-strikers end but continuously giving his valuable insights and advice to his fellow batsman.  I see him in the team as a mentor to all the other players in the side. He knows how to shape young players and many players have praised Dhoni for his advices.

S- Self Belief

If finishing matches is a gunfight, Dhoni is always up for the task. He has proved time and again that he is the best finisher in the world. He is known for taking the game deep, not risking it early by going for a big shot early. He backs himself to get the team over the line in the last over due to his immense self- belief. If 15 runs are required in the last over, pressure is on the bowler and not Dhoni. His presence is only so intimidating for a bowler.

D- Different

Dhoni is way different from others. His mind works in a different way and that way is the winner’s way. We work hard on our muscles in the gym, but we forget about the muscles of our brains. They too need nurturing and Dhoni has done that.

Once Dhoni was asked to comment on the present ‘in-form’ players in the team. He replied – “Nobody has seen from. It is a state of mind where one is confident and thinks very positively.”

For decades cricketing world has used in-form’ and ‘out-of-form’ expressions but Dhoni dismissed it in a jiffy with a new outlook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hosLnNMCGsM (7 Incidents When DHONI Fooled Opposition LIKE A BOSS With His Brilliancy)

H- Honor

He is a true gentleman and represents the spirit of cricket itself. He respects the opposition players and umpires at all times. If an opposition player is down with cramps or any other injuries, he even is ready to offer help. In the below picture, we can see that Dhoni was helping Plessis stretch his legs when he had severe cramps in a match against India last year. He is such a selfless cricketer.

O- Oh! Captain Cool!

He is very calm and composed on the field. His secret to calmness is his Point of View. We generally lose our mind when we are under pressure. However, Dhoni turns the table by viewing pressure as a given opportunity to prove his merit.

His extraordinary calm attitude gives him immense mind space to use his conscious and sub conscious mind to good effect.

N- Not giving up

Dhoni is a fearless fighter. In April 2005, India was playing Pakistan and Dhoni was promoted to No.3. Dhoni scored 148 runs from 123 balls. There was a lot of pressure to perform as he was a new corner in the side.

Questions might be raised in his mind such as -

• Ø Will I be able to face the lethal Pakistani bowling attack??
• Ø What will my captain tell me if I get out early??
• Ø What will the media say??

He eliminated all such fear. According to Dhoni, fear is just an illusion of the mind which doesn’t exist in reality.

Dhoni deals with fear by acknowledging it. He then shoves it in a box and closes the lid of the box and keeps it aside.

I-Intuition or Gut Feeling

It is the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.He is extremely intuitive and has always flummoxed rivals with his out of box field positions and bowling changes based on his gut feeling.

In the 2007 World T20 final, Dhoni gave the last over to inexperienced Joginder SharmA. In the Final of the Champions Trophy 2013, he gave the 18^th over to Ishant Sharma who was having a bad day. These decisions looked crazy but they paid off somehow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y41LkmIc-N8 ( Top 4 Dhoni decisions )

So, I would like to conclude that you should not like Dhoni but instead love him.

“Respect him, love him, admire him, inspire from him, adore him, learn from him and make your life better”.