Dhoni the ZEN!

If being the Prime Minister of India is considered as one of the most high pressure job in our country then think twice as being the captain of the Indian cricket team is not far behind in terms of the expectations and complexities involved. The Indian cricket fans are far more demanding than the coalition partners which the honorable Prime Minister has to handle. And it won't be an exaggeration if we rate the Indian cricket fans as the second most demanding and mercurial lot in the world, only behind the Pakistani counterparts especially when it comes to outrageous display of wrath. In this context if one man has done more justice to this throne of thorns than any of his predecessors then it is certainly Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Dhoni has led magnificently well, using whatever resources he has been provided with, without any time worrying about what he doesn't have. The biggest reason of his huge success as a captain is that he is not afraid of criticism, always backs his instincts and keep things simple, interestingly all great leader have these qualities. And what better example of this but his brave act in the finals when he promoted himself in the batting order and came in to bat ahead of the Man of the Tournament (read Yuvraj Singh). That single act embodied a real intent to win and importantly showed a willingness to lead from the front. At that crucial juncture he could have quite easily let Yuvraj or Raina go in and sat comfortably in the dressing room but the man backed himself to face a crisis without dithering, no wonder the entire world is singing praises about the man and he has been unanimously promoted from a good captain to an all time great.

Dhoni has reached a stage in his career, more so in his popularity that his every single move is followed by millions. Sachin Tendulkar may be the presiding deity of Indian cricket, the ultimate batting god who has broken all possible records in the game but Dhoni is someone fans have started to worship from afar. From his hairstyle to his helicopter shot, Dhoni's every single move is closely watched, adored and followed by the millions across the country. Dhoni's is truly a story that every common man can relate to, coming from a middle class backdrop, not being a metropolitan lad, climbing the success ladder the hard way are some of the traits that make him so popular and relatable among masses. No wonder the champion player endorses brands like Sonata, Big Bazaar, Orient PSPO and Siyaram's and not the high end Tissots, Spencers, Bluestars and Reid & Taylors as they are very much in line with his personality and the middle class sentiments. And despite all this adulation and idolising, the calm and poise the superstar exhibits is exemplary; probably it's a trademark and an inherent quality in all the icons.

But like any other riveting story, Dhoni's has also had it's share of lows. The champion player has been criticized for giving away his original and attacking style of stroke play for a more cautious and circumspect one. He has also been flaked for relying too much on his instincts rather than on cricketing logic. His decision of persisting with Ravindra Jadega for longer than normal despite latter’s consistently dismal performances baffled one and all, including myself. And off-late the decision that made him face the wrath from all corners was the one when he relentlessly kept on picking Piyush Chawla over R Ashwin in the World Cup, despite former's poor show and latter’s impressive track record. This decision was utterly baffling for all and defied every cricketing logic but Dhoni being his true self remained unfazed by all the drama surrounding his decision and eventually came out trumps.

Dhoni might not be the best player to have donned the Indian cap but he is certainly more effective than the most. He might not have the best technique as a batsman but he performs and delivers better than those who have it. He has this unique knack of knowing his limitations as a player and he makes best utilization of his limited abilities. Certainly he is not as talented as Sachin, Sehwag or Yuvraj but he makes the best use of whatever he has been gifted with. Numbers tell that Dhoni has already stamped his authority as one of the best Captain India has ever produced but if there is one thing that drives this man farther than the most then it's his TEMPERAMENT. He has never been seen losing his temper in 8 years of his cricketing career nor have we seen him yelling on any of his team mates in his 3 years tenure as the skipper. The Zen like calm, composure and the cool that surrounds the man not only instills confidence in the fellow team mates but also gives hope to the millions of fan.

Life being the best leveler will pose tougher challenges for Dhoni too and someday even his Midas touch will fade. And then it needs to be seen, whether that Zen like calm and poise still remains. But even in those not so glorious days we should not undermine or forget the unthinkable feats the team has achieved under his leadership and the unparalleled joy and ecstasy the man has brought to the millions.

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Wanted - 1.2 Billion Hazares!

Barely three days after the monumental world cup victory one man took away the entire sheen away from the nationwide celebrations and literally stalled this never before euphoria. Interestingly nobody even raised a voice against this disruption in celebrations, naturally if the chief protagonist is a sprightly septuagenarian fighting against the age old vice of corruption in our system then there can't be any dissentful voices against such a noble cause. The Padma Bhushan awardee, ex army man who fought the 1965 Indo-Pak war, the Gandhian who single handedly built a village in the Ahmed Nagar district of Maharashtra and transformed it from a poverty clad village to a self sustained model village which is now among the richest village in India. The warrior, the braveheart and the visionary Mr Anna Hazare is known for his hard ways and ability to fight for such social causes with utmost zeal, no wonder he is getting such unprecedented support from all corners of the country.

But how can one curb corruption by going on a hunger strike? Corruption in our country is a routine act which is not only practised by the politicians and bureaucrats but is widely endorsed by even the poorest. So how can a hunger strike abolish this genetic disease? Well if we closely dwell on Hazare's demand he is advocating for The Jan Lokpal Bill that will form an autonomus authority who will make politicians, bureaucrats and all the ministers accountable for their deeds. Also the demand emphasizes on a 50-50 participation between the government and public in the committee formulation for the enactment of the bill which will minimize the extent of manuevering on government's part for its own benefit. Naturally the objective and the intent behind the protest being so genuine, constructive and visionary, support from one and all in the country was bound to come. And the government bowing down to these long pending demand with the whole of nation backing the cause was also just a matter of fact and time.

The entire movement has been a victory of the very idea of democracy, victory for the people of this great nation and a victory for INDIA. And hats to Mr Hazare, the man behind this mass movement who dared against all odds to fight for a cause that has crippled the growth of this nation and tarnished it's image globally. But the big question is can this movement really eradicate corruption from our system? It's really a herculean task. The joint committee can have a 50% public participation but can that still have the power to formulate full proof rules? The much demanded bill can make the politicians and bureaucrats accountable for their deeds but can it really punish them for those deeds within the time frame? Can this movement stop you from bribing the traffic policeman at the signal? Can this bill prevent you from buying a high profile cricket match ticket for black? Can this wave of change stop you from paying those extra bucks to a clerk to get your home loan sanctioned at a faster pace? Well the issue is way beyond just these ministers and officers, the gene of corruption is ingrained in each one of us.Unless we mend our ways individually there is no point aiming for the larger picture because we are the breeding grounds on which these politicians and bureaucrats prosper.

Mr Hazare is a proven servant of this nation and he has truly played his part in starting this revolutionary fight against corruption. But we have a long way to go. Merely lighting candles, joining rallies and abusing the politicians won't serve the purpose. We got to cleanse ourselves internally, we need to recharge our conscience, we need to develop the patience to traverse the longer path to get things done. Only then we can assimilate that strength based on which Mr Hazare has single handedly routed the government, otherwise it's just another filmy stunt that will loose all it's fizz as the the time passes by.

Long Live Hazare, Long live the fight against Evil!

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The Cup that INDIA really counts!

In a backdrop of continued hues and cries against the abolishment of 50 over format of the game what we witnessed over the last 40 odd days was one of the most successful ODI World Cup till date. Successful not only because the host nation lifted the trophy to create a record of its kind but more so for the euphoria and excitement this event generated by the quality of the cricket being played. Successful not only because it gave the lesser known associate nations a chance to showcase their skills but also because it witnessed a resurgence of old warriors and new heroes of the game who will become the flag bearers of tomorrow. Successful not only because the event generated unsurmountable moolah for the organizers and sponsors but also because it kept the shameful and longstanding vices of corruption and bureaucracy at the bay.

There were varying theories leading to the world cup as to which team thoroughly deserves to win the world cup, most of these being discussed and debated endlessly in the studios of numerous 24*7 news channels and the sports column of leading newspapers.Team India were dubbed as the clear favorites not only by the experts and pundits but also by the leading betting agencies, the logic behind this tag was certainly a very strong and consistent string of performances in the last 2-3 years. If one set of experts professed South Africa as the true contenders of the coveted trophy based on their consistent performances, strong squad and playing against the choking odds and not so encouraging history to lift their first ICC trophy. The other set of pundits cautioned the rivals against the down by certainly not out Aussies, based on their strong ODI side, impressive performance in the recently concluded ODI series against the Ashes Warriors, advantage of being the proud owners of the No.1 spot in the ODIs and an impressive unbeaten record in the world cups for the last 12 odd years. Some experts even backed Srilanka to lift the trophy based on their consistent and impeccable performance in the subcontinent conditions and also emphasizing the fact that the Lankan lions were the runners up in the last edition of the world cup. The dangerous Underdogs tag was unanimously kept aside for the mercurial Pakistani side who despite their ever so familiar crises of match fixing and internal rifts were looking ominous and confident after a good showing in the Kiwi land.

It may be a bit unfair to state this but cricketing logic apart if there was one team that truly deserved this trophy more than any other team at this juncture it was Team India. India has been a powerhouse of Cricket for over two decades now, not only in terms of revenue generation but also in terms of mass following. If there is any sport which comes close to this euphoric and crazy follower-ship than it is certainly soccer but otherwise there is no match to the hysteria, festivity and togetherness this game(cricket) generates in this vast country. So if 1983 was the seed which triggered this phenomenon it was certainly the dividends time for the ardent fans of the game in this cricket crazy nation. The fan in this country has gone through everything to support the game and his/her team, so much so that it was certainly the payback time for the game to its staunchest supporters. Naturally a majority of youth in this nation has not experienced what it means to win this coveted trophy. All their lives they have either watched Australians lifting the trophy every four years or those virtually black and white images of Kapil Dev lifting the trophy almost three decades back. So for a fan who breeds on cricket and follows Indian team day in day out, it was high team he/she actually experiences this feeling first hand. And it's not that this premise has been built upon just these emotional cursors, obviously the team has been doing exceptionally well and showcasing high degree of consistency in all formats of the game. So if there was one time when this team truly deserved to win the cup, it was NOW. Not only the game owed a lot to the loyalist fan of this nation but it also owed something to the little genius (not withstanding the fact that no individual is greater than the game) who has been the best servant to this beautiful game for over two decades now, Sachin Tendulkar, and is all for sure playing his last world cup.

By the virtue of a strong team performance, high quality captaincy and a solid fan support the team went on to win the much awaited and a well deserved title and no points for guessing the entire nation went berserk. But the journey wasn't as smooth as it seems, if Viru's bangla bashing was celebrated across the nation, Team India's not so impressive bowling performance against the minnows raised quite a few eyebrows. If master blaster gave the nation hundreds of runs to smile about, the nation breathed fire every time Chawla was picked in the squad. If Zaheer Khan instilled confidence in the prayer murmuring lips of millions, the likes of Nehra and Munaf literally dozed off the nation. If Yuvraj's new found savior avatar was the talk of the nation, Dhoni lack of batting form till the final was a constant cause of worry in every household. Such is the insight about this game in a common man that every Indian has an advice or two for the Captain and interestingly most of them aren't that bad either. Eventually with thousands of Pujas and Havanas, millions of fan mails, billions of superstitions and little bit of cricket on the field the Team went on to the lift the World Cup.

And the atmosphere and the feeling that descended on this reverberating nation thereafter was certainly a never before. Millions on the street, crackers all over the sky, tricolor in every hand and hugs and hand shakes all around. If there was any event that could come close or super-cede this celebration and euphoria it can't be anything other than the night of 15th August 1947, such was the feeling and joyousness the swept across the nation. And seeing the bonding which this victory generated, even the likes of Aussies, South Africans, Lankans and Pakistanis wouldn't deny the fact that if there was one team or rather one nation that truly deserved this title at this juncture it was certainly INDIA!

Perspective: It would have augured well for this nation and the team if the cash rich IPL4 would have started a little later, as it would have given us a little more time to savior and cherish this memorable victory!

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