MS Dhoni: The Man We Now Know

You don't often see a biopic made on the life of a cricketer who's still active in his career. So a Bollywood movie on the life of MS Dhoni was always going to be special. And why not! After all, Dhoni is one of the most celebrated cricketers in India's cricketing history and his achievements as captain of the Indian cricket team are unmatched. As someone who has admired the man’s cricketing acumen, I was looking forward to this film with much anticipation. I went in as a fan of MS Dhoni the cricketer, but came out as a fan of MS Dhoni the human being.

It is impossible for a filmmaker to sum up the life of a 35-year old cricketer in just 3 hours. But to the director's credit, we can tell he's done his best and given us an honest portrayal of the man we all admire. As for the film, the best part about the entire storyline was the fact that it prominently depicted the journey of an aspiring young cricketer, and not the hullabaloo and fanfare that comes along with it. As fans and armchair critics, it is easy for us to put down a particular cricketer when he's had a bad day at the office. But we often fail to acknowledge the sacrifices he has to make even to get to that stage. All this makes for an interesting behind-the-scenes reel, which has been brilliantly portrayed by the makers of this film. Those who've watched the movie know that there are certain creative liberties taken as far as Dhoni's personal life is concerned. But the cricketing aspects have come out cleanly without being tampered with. Sushant Singh Rajput has done a fabulous job of playing the on screen Dhoni. There are moments in the film when you actually start seeing the real Dhoni in him.

For cricket and especially Dhoni fans, this movie is a revelation of the other side of the man behind India's World Cup wins. It tells us why Dhoni had to take certain tough calls in his career and what made him so successful, who were the people who shaped his childhood and many other things that Dhoni himself wouldn't otherwise speak openly about. The film is also a gentle reminder of the fact that sheer hard work and determination can take you to the greatest heights of success, and it is not always necessary to have godfathers. It also taught us an important life lesson - you don't need a lot of friends to succeed in life. Few quality friends who can selflessly go the distance just to see you succeed are the ones you hold onto.

A Salute to India's Holy Trinity: Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman!

They say getting on top is no big deal, but dominating your position when everyone else is vying for it, is a bigger task. Team India's three musketeers have already been there, done that. They need not prove to the world what they're capable of. Those years of dedication and hard work are easily visible in their records. But, the world is cruel and it's people are worse. One slump of form and gone! All those drops of sweat that went into the making of a legend are washed away because of some mindless critics who do not think before they talk. What I really fail to understand is what evokes such criticism? Perhaps, we won't realize what he have until it's gone. With retirement rumours doing the rounds, every cricket fan in this country is scared, for what Indian cricket is going to lose will certainly be one of the biggest losses to the fraternity. And I, for one, don't know how cricket's gonna be like like without my favourite cricketer.

MS Dhoni's away record has been terrible, we all know what happened in England and the 3-0 drubbing against the Aussies so far has been nothing less than a recap of the disastrous England tour. But, my question goes out to all those who question Dhoni's captaincy and the team's performance - How many captains have succeeded in winning a Test series in Australia in the past? Why is it that apart from the captain, only the trio of Tendulkar-Dravid-Laxman are held responsible for everything that has gone wrong so far? Cricket is a team game, all the players are equally responsible for whatever they achieve or don't. Spare a thought for the seniors, they have been India's best batting bet in Tests for a long time now and even the sum total of their achievements cannot justify their significance in the team. Those are some really big, heavy shoes to fill. It's not going to be easy for the so-called "young guns" to step into them and repeat the feats of our great batsmen. I agree, every team goes through a transitional period, where the seniors step out with dignity and the young make their way in. But, to treat them like they have never really mattered is insulting. Steve Waugh retired graciously, he was an asset to the Australian team, Adam Gilchrist hung his boots to some tears among his fans, Shane Warne's popularity never really wiped away his presence from the dressing room. These are men of honour, they deserve more respect than anyone else and the Australian media did justice. The least we can do as fans, is stand by our heroes who have given us so much to remember all our lives. Retirement is inevitable, it has to come someday. What matters the most now is not what we lost, but what we were blessed with for so many years. It doesn't matter if they aren't delivering now, they have done it continuously in the past. Show me a man aged 39, standing tall at the crease, defending 9 out of 10 times and still scoring heavily with as much grace and patience; show me a saviour who has literally taken his team out of a pothole filled with troubles; and yes, show me someone who has given everything to the game, scored the most number of runs, faced an equal amount of criticism and still managed to keep that childlike smile on his face!

My message to the fans and critics is simple: It's easier said than done! If we can be so passionate about watching cricket and analyzing the game, it is really difficult to imagine the level of commitment and effort our cricketers put in delivering the same. We do not know what they go through when their time is not right. As it is often said, "Form is temporary, Class in permanent". And I consider myself extremely fortunate to have witnessed some real class in the Indian cricket team.

Thank you Sachin Tendulkar - for showing us how it feels like to be GOD and human at the same time; Rahul Dravid - for proving to the world that there can be a stronger WALL than the Great Wall of China; VVS Laxman - for being a lifesaver and an important cornerstone in the success of Indian Cricket over the years!

The other side of being a Sachin Tendulkar fan!

Being a Tendulkar fan is not easy; if you thought it was, think twice. 90% of the cricket crazy population in India believe that there is no bigger God than Sachin, the rest 10% do not rate him very high. For them, Sachin Tendulkar is someone to whom things came rather easily, but very few know how much struggle and hard work went into it. And these are the same critics who will raise a finger at you every time Sachin fails to deliver, as if it was your own fault. All these years, I had never publicly announced my liking for him, in fact, my childhood hero had always been Rahul Dravid - from the day I understood what Cricket was. I watched him more than I watched anyone else. Tendulkar was an unknown phenomenon for me. But as I grew up, I could hear only one name. A name that stopped time in India, brought nations together, rejoiced and cried at the same time. To witness all this was strange enough, but it got stranger when I saw my dad taking leaves from his work just to watch India play some other team. I could hear him saying, "Today, Sachin will score a century." At first, I thought he was lying. But he wasn't. Sachin would perform almost all the time, and my dad would be the first one to light firecrackers outside our house whenever he reached a landmark. It was amazing to see the confidence my dad had in him. This was enough motivation for me to find out more about the man himself. I don't know whether it was my dad's influence or what, but I started following this God-like cricketer and very soon, transformed myself into a devotee who was mesmerized by the way he played his cricket. Little did I realize then, that the road ahead was filled with challenges.

Everybody rejoices when Sachin plays, but to accept defeat and face criticism is a tough task. Thanks to the social media, I was suddenly exposed to a whole new world, where I came across people who rubbished everything this man has achieved in his life. It was then that I knew such people existed. Today, every time he goes out to bat, every fan in this country also accompanies him. The day he missed his 100th ton at Wankhede, my heart stopped for a second and so did everyone else's. And it was no surprise that I saw my Facebook wall flooded with anti-Sachin posts. Everybody spoke about how he missed his century after reaching the 90's for the 17th time in his career, but did anyone notice where he would be standing today, had he got all of them? The fact that he has 99 international hundreds to his name does speak a lot about him. It makes me laugh when people argue with no basis, only because they want to prove their point. Okay, he wasn't a great captain as we all know but having said that, how can you dismiss the credentials of someone like him who has given the sport all that he could and continues to do so? Another argument that always frustrates me is that, people think just because he debuted at a tender age of 16, he has scored so many runs and tons. So? How many cricketers have actually converted every opportunity presented to them into something meaningful? Sachin did, but that was no cakewalk. The road to glory was long enough and filled with hardships. I think some people are just not aware of the reality, or maybe they believe in the saying, "Ignorance is bliss". They do not want to belong to the majority and want to differ in their opinions. Sure they can, but not at the cost of refuting others. It is completely alright if SRT is not your God, and Rahul Dravid is. After all, everyone has the right of making their own choice. But what irritates me the most is the comparison that is often made between Sachin and other cricketers. A classic example was when a friend of mine said to me, "Hey, you know what, "MY" Dhoni has won India the World Cup, what has "YOUR" Sachin done?" And this was via Facebook. Now no matter how much I argued, I knew this person was hell bent on making me realize that Dhoni is, indeed, a better captain. I did not deny it either. But just how fair is it to compare a stalwart of the game with someone who is only beginning to learn the tricks of the trade? Captaincy is an aspect that can definitely be compared, but the comparison becomes pointless when it is done on an overall basis. I had to finally block him, for I could no longer bear his nuisance and his stupid, illogical comments. Similarly, when Sehwag broke his record of a double century, was it appropriate to assume that he is the greatest cricketer today? Only because he holds a world record? I would say no. Sehwag is a class apart, he only knows to hit the cricket ball. It did hurt me when Sachin's valuable effort of a 200* was so easily ridiculed. To score a 200-something in any form of the game is challenging, and these two men have done it with great courage, in their own style. Why can't we give them the credit they deserve and stop comparing?

Sometimes, I wish I had remained a Dravid fan, at least I'd be quietly proud of him and his heroics on the back stage, overshadowed by the greatness of Tendulkar. Sometimes, I wish I had never watched Cricket and instead, chosen to follow Football or some other sport. At least, I wouldn't carry the burden of defending him despite his great achievements. But my love for Cricket and Tendulkar has brought me far, too far to think about stepping back. So what if people talk about Sachin? Just like he continues to make India proud, we, his devoted fans will always be by his side, still waiting patiently for his 100th hundred - because we know, it will come when GOD wishes!