Do it like Dhoni!

It is not often that I envy men (nature's favored species) I usually reserve contempt for them as they have a million ways to get things right but still manage to muck it all up. Women, on the other hand, have a million ways to go wrong but still get it right most of the time. But MSD has me stumped (pun very much intended)! He'll probably put a cucumber to shame with his coolness. He has captained his team to success in all three formats of the game and does so without any fuss or fanfare. Maybe India's growing financial clout in world cricket has something to do with our recent successes, nevertheless MSD comes across as someone who can face all odds and come out a winner. He's even lessened the halo around our God of Cricket aka Mr. Sachin Tendulkar and if that's not achieving the impossible I don't know what is!

The hopes of a billion people (leaving out the .21 billion crack heads who don't like cricket) rested on his broad shoulders when he promoted himself and came out to bat at number five at the world cup final. His gamble paid off and his unbeaten 91 is touted to be one of the greatest innings played by a captain. More importantly he made sure that India didn’t huff 'n’ puff and limp to victory as is our style but won the match with balls to spare. The winning six was a class act by a class player (Apologize if I'm sounding like Ravi Shastri who btw would put a tortoise and a snail to shame with his batting).

People call him unsophisticated and rustic and he's definitely not a glib talker if his interviews/after-match speeches are anything to go by. But what he does possess is a dogged determination and an unflappable sense of self-belief. He toned down his flamboyance at the right time (I wouldn't have put much confidence in a captain who had a hairstyle similar to John Abraham) and commanded respect from both seniors and juniors alike. And if the World cup win wasn't enough he's even led Chennai to their second IPL victory.

What really makes him tick? Is it his hard-as-nails attitude, his humble background or is it just plain luck? Is the Midas touch going to wear off soon? Whatever it may be, for the time being, Nike might have to change their slogan from "Just do it" to "Just do it like Dhoni!" (at least for India). England might have "Bend it like Beckham" but we are the proud owners of "Do it like Dhoni!"