#OnThisDay 2013, MS Dhoni smashed a 121 ball 139* at Mohali, but James Faulkner's quick fire 64 guided Aus to a 4 wicket win.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar about MSD during a pre-match presser at Trivandrum. ““If you look at his record, nobody (team management) is really bothered. Whatever he has done, he has been doing well, he knows he is a legend. Whatever he is doing, it is benefitting the Indian team. No one has any doubts about him,” said the pacer.
@msdhoni7
@msdhoni7
"We do not look at the guys under 30, who actually haven't done anything but we tend to sort of overlook that. So, we will not have to look at the failure of others in the same innings. Hardik Pandya getting out for one by not picking up a googly. We will not look at that. We will not look at the fact that openers did not give the usual start. We will only point a finger at MS Dhoni. So that is unfortunate. So, that is India for you," Gavaskar said.
@msdhoni7
@msdhoni7
Dhoni in an exclusive interview:
How did you decide that you wanted to be a cricketer?
I loved sports right from the very start. When I was in school, I used to play a lot of other sports as well, and it would be wrong for me to say that I wanted to become a professional cricketer.
For two years, I played proper football. I was the second goalkeeper for my school team, but our cricket team also needed a wicket-keeper. That was the time when people asked me to try wicket-keeping, and I used to keep wickets when we were playing tennis ball cricket. The reason was that I was very small, timid, short at that time, so maybe all the seniors thought that was the best place for me to be.
In school, I also pursued badminton, and was very active when it came to the annual sports participation, whether it was track and field events or other sports. So, cricket just… everything happened at the right time and I became a cricketer.
What was your favourite subject in school?
That’s a difficult one! I was very good in Maths till class V, and after that algebra and everything came in, and I started playing cricket, so it became slightly tough. So, if I have to pick something, I would say I like Maths, the reason being I was good at it, and even after class VI, though I was quite bad, I loved geometry.
Which was the quality that helped you become captain of the Indian team?
That is again a very difficult one (laughs), because a lot of senior players would have supported me. I was not part of the conversation when I was made captain of the team. I feel that looking at everything, maybe it was the honesty that I had, and my ability to read the game. Reading the game is very important, and even though I was one of the youngest in the team at that point of time, when asked about my views by a senior player, I was not afraid or hesitant to share my feelings about the game. It probably also had to do with the fact that I was quite good with the other team members in the squad at that point of time.
What was your best moment as a cricketer?
We have had quite a few good ones, but the 2011 World Cup, winning in India at the Wankhede Stadium, in front of the home crowd, was something that was really amazing and I think the whole process was good. But that exact point, you know, maybe four or five overs before we won the game, when the whole stadium and the spectators knew that we were going to win the game… that was the time when they started chanting, ‘Vande Mataram’ and all the other songs, that was the moment. We knew from that point that we will win the game. That whole atmosphere has never been recreated, but hopefully someday, I will be able to witness it again.
How was the feeling when you hit the ball for the winning six?
There was no plan to hit a six, and I was not looking for a fairytale finish. It just came, I swung the bat, it went over the boundary and then there was a sense of satisfaction. It was just watching the ball, there was nothing in the mind, and after a few seconds, I realised that yes, I had done it.
We were quite happy with the fact that we were the first home team to have won a World Cup, and also, we were quite relieved because for that whole tournament, there was a lot of pressure from everyone. We were quite relieved. I do not think we got enough opportunity to enjoy the win for whatever reasons, but I think it was really that moment, just before winning the World Cup, the whole atmosphere… it always comes to mind, and it will be tough to replicate that atmosphere. But as I said, I would love to witness it – whether it is while playing or from the stands, I would love to witness it again.
How did you decide that you wanted to be a cricketer?
I loved sports right from the very start. When I was in school, I used to play a lot of other sports as well, and it would be wrong for me to say that I wanted to become a professional cricketer.
For two years, I played proper football. I was the second goalkeeper for my school team, but our cricket team also needed a wicket-keeper. That was the time when people asked me to try wicket-keeping, and I used to keep wickets when we were playing tennis ball cricket. The reason was that I was very small, timid, short at that time, so maybe all the seniors thought that was the best place for me to be.
In school, I also pursued badminton, and was very active when it came to the annual sports participation, whether it was track and field events or other sports. So, cricket just… everything happened at the right time and I became a cricketer.
What was your favourite subject in school?
That’s a difficult one! I was very good in Maths till class V, and after that algebra and everything came in, and I started playing cricket, so it became slightly tough. So, if I have to pick something, I would say I like Maths, the reason being I was good at it, and even after class VI, though I was quite bad, I loved geometry.
Which was the quality that helped you become captain of the Indian team?
That is again a very difficult one (laughs), because a lot of senior players would have supported me. I was not part of the conversation when I was made captain of the team. I feel that looking at everything, maybe it was the honesty that I had, and my ability to read the game. Reading the game is very important, and even though I was one of the youngest in the team at that point of time, when asked about my views by a senior player, I was not afraid or hesitant to share my feelings about the game. It probably also had to do with the fact that I was quite good with the other team members in the squad at that point of time.
What was your best moment as a cricketer?
We have had quite a few good ones, but the 2011 World Cup, winning in India at the Wankhede Stadium, in front of the home crowd, was something that was really amazing and I think the whole process was good. But that exact point, you know, maybe four or five overs before we won the game, when the whole stadium and the spectators knew that we were going to win the game… that was the time when they started chanting, ‘Vande Mataram’ and all the other songs, that was the moment. We knew from that point that we will win the game. That whole atmosphere has never been recreated, but hopefully someday, I will be able to witness it again.
How was the feeling when you hit the ball for the winning six?
There was no plan to hit a six, and I was not looking for a fairytale finish. It just came, I swung the bat, it went over the boundary and then there was a sense of satisfaction. It was just watching the ball, there was nothing in the mind, and after a few seconds, I realised that yes, I had done it.
We were quite happy with the fact that we were the first home team to have won a World Cup, and also, we were quite relieved because for that whole tournament, there was a lot of pressure from everyone. We were quite relieved. I do not think we got enough opportunity to enjoy the win for whatever reasons, but I think it was really that moment, just before winning the World Cup, the whole atmosphere… it always comes to mind, and it will be tough to replicate that atmosphere. But as I said, I would love to witness it – whether it is while playing or from the stands, I would love to witness it again.
Can you describe the first time you entered the Indian team’s dressing room as a player?
It was very awkward (laughs). It was in Bangladesh, it was a very short tour, and we played three games, and I think three games got over in four days. Like my career, the tour was also one of mixed emotions, as we lost the second game.
Getting into the dressing room… in fact, it was even before the dressing room, when we went into a meeting room, all the senior players were there. It is the first time you are actually seeing the big names when it comes to Indian cricket, and you don’t know how to react, you just keep watching everyone, you are shy, you don’t want to speak a lot. You just want to figure out really what is happening.
I don’t think I spoke much, I was just watching the senior players and it seemed that the whole room was filled with them, people who you at times dreamed of playing with, and that is the time you are actually sharing a dressing room with them, so it was an amazing experience.
What would be your message to children?
Irrespective of the age of the child, I think that childhood is something very important. That is the time which is essentially the foundation stone of life. What you learn in childhood is what you will take with you going forward in life.
You do not have to be boring in life, you have to be naughty, you have to be mischievous, but at the end of the day, you know the boundaries and you are always supposed to be within the boundaries.
So, I would say, enjoy everything in life. Play hard, study hard, listen to your parents, give love and respect to the elders and the ones younger to you, and have a lot of fun. A lot of people crib about the tough times that they go through, but that is what makes life interesting. If everything was smooth in life, you wouldn’t really enjoy it. It is the ups and the downs that happen because of which your emotions also go up and down, and that is what makes life more interesting. So, enjoy each and every moment.
Studies are very important but sports are as important as studies and that is one thing I have always told all the young people that I meet. Being fit is something that has to be there through your life. Even if you are very intelligent and very good in studies, if you are not fit enough, how will you enjoy your life? Everybody does not have to be a top athlete, but a normal level of fitness needs to be there. You are supposed to play some kind of an outdoor sport and spend less time on mobile phones and iPads, and use that time to play some kind of a sport – badminton, football, hockey. Be nice to everyone.
It was very awkward (laughs). It was in Bangladesh, it was a very short tour, and we played three games, and I think three games got over in four days. Like my career, the tour was also one of mixed emotions, as we lost the second game.
Getting into the dressing room… in fact, it was even before the dressing room, when we went into a meeting room, all the senior players were there. It is the first time you are actually seeing the big names when it comes to Indian cricket, and you don’t know how to react, you just keep watching everyone, you are shy, you don’t want to speak a lot. You just want to figure out really what is happening.
I don’t think I spoke much, I was just watching the senior players and it seemed that the whole room was filled with them, people who you at times dreamed of playing with, and that is the time you are actually sharing a dressing room with them, so it was an amazing experience.
What would be your message to children?
Irrespective of the age of the child, I think that childhood is something very important. That is the time which is essentially the foundation stone of life. What you learn in childhood is what you will take with you going forward in life.
You do not have to be boring in life, you have to be naughty, you have to be mischievous, but at the end of the day, you know the boundaries and you are always supposed to be within the boundaries.
So, I would say, enjoy everything in life. Play hard, study hard, listen to your parents, give love and respect to the elders and the ones younger to you, and have a lot of fun. A lot of people crib about the tough times that they go through, but that is what makes life interesting. If everything was smooth in life, you wouldn’t really enjoy it. It is the ups and the downs that happen because of which your emotions also go up and down, and that is what makes life more interesting. So, enjoy each and every moment.
Studies are very important but sports are as important as studies and that is one thing I have always told all the young people that I meet. Being fit is something that has to be there through your life. Even if you are very intelligent and very good in studies, if you are not fit enough, how will you enjoy your life? Everybody does not have to be a top athlete, but a normal level of fitness needs to be there. You are supposed to play some kind of an outdoor sport and spend less time on mobile phones and iPads, and use that time to play some kind of a sport – badminton, football, hockey. Be nice to everyone.