The small town of Ranchi in Jharkhand is home to 2 eminent personalities, who have had their fair share of influence on the mindsets of the Indian masses.
While Birsa Munda was an Indian tribal freedom fighter, who spearheaded the Millenarian movement against the British Raj during the colonial period, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s most successful skipper has redefined the word ‘record’ in international cricket as far as breaking them is concerned.
If I start mentioning all his heroics one by one; be rest assured that I will make myself a serious contender for the Guinness World Record for the longest article written till date. I’ll not go that way. Instead, I will accommodate 7 facts about Captain Cool which are unheard of.
Together we celebrate the 35th Birthday of this legend, who has added new dimensions to the departments of batting, wicket-keeping, and captaincy in a span of 11 years in international cricket.
7 facts about Captain Cool which are unheard of:-
- FOOTBALL’S LOSS IS CRICKET’S GAIN
(Pic Source: HT)
Surprisingly, in his younger days, Mahi dreamt of becoming a famous goal-keeper, who would play for one of the top club sides in Kolkata. Then, when he was in Std. X, his sports instructor, KeshabRanjan Banerjee asked him to keep wickets for the school team as they had no regular wicket-keeper.
The logic behind this proposal was simple. He felt that goal-keepers would find it easier to keep wickets. Even today, whenever he visits the UK, he rushes to the Old Trafford to watch his favourite club, Manchester United in action.
- AN EFFICIENT TIME MANAGER
Rumours of him dropping out from School must be put to rest as his Std. X Board Exam marks account for 66%. Take a look at his daily schedule back then and you’ll realize how valuable that 66% was. School at 7:30 am, back home at 1:30 pm; practice sessions in the afternoon, followed by homework from 6:30 pm to 9 pm.
- MILK IS THE SECRET OF HIS ENERGY
Until 2 years back, a popular beverage brand used Dhoni’s image to promote their product. The tagline of that particular beverage brand was, ‘’Bo**t is the secret of my energy’’.
Actually, his appetite for boundless energy to play cricket comes from his apparent fondness for rice mixed with milk. Kids, if you are reading this, tell your parents that you’ll drink milk from now in order to follow Dhoni’s footsteps.
- AGENT ‘007’
It is easy to find footballers with special preferences for No. 7 shirts. In cricket, however, No. 7 is especially attributed to one person-that is M.S Dhoni. He has got a special preference for the number as his Indian shirt bears number 7 and his birthday is on the 7th day of the 7th month.
When he bought a brand new Scorpio in 2013, he desired the number plate to be adorned with No. 7. That’s not all. His locket neck chain also bears the No. 7 on it. Wonder whether he is a James Bond fan.
- FROM WORKING AS A TICKET COLLECTOR TO BEING THE INDIAN CAPTAIN
(Pic Source: AFP)
Even after he made his Ranji Trophy debut at the age of 18 in 2000, he was still an employee for the Indian Railways, where he worked as a ticket collector in Kharagpur in West Bengal. Life was full of adversities back then for Dhoni.
He worked there from 2001 to 2003 while also playing the game. He was also a member of Air-India, whom he had joined to play cricket. He represented them in the BCCI Corporate trophy in 2009 but he gave up the job in 2013.
- RAB NE BANADI JODI
(Pic Source: OutLookIndia/ GettyImages)
Indeed. The couple has put together an unbroken partnership of 5 years. Sakshi was his schoolmate in DAV JVM School. Both their fathers worked for MECON. Prior to their marriage, Sakshi worked as an intern at Taj-Bengal, a five-star hotel in Kolkata.
The lovebirds tied the knot in July 2010 and as they say, ‘Lady Luck’ favoured Dhoni big time during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. Earlier this year, Sakshi gave birth to a baby girl whom the couple named ‘Ziva’.
- OUT AND OUT SPORTS FANATIC
Dhoni plays for Rising Pune Supergiants (a franchise owned by Sanjiv Goenka) in the IPL. But, the Indian Captain vehemently extends his support to other sports as well. He owns a team in the FIM Supersport World Championship which is named Mahi Racing Team India.
His love for football drove him towards the Indian Super League (a franchise-based football tournament which kick-started last year), where he is a co-owner of Chennaiyan FC in partnership with actor Abhishek Bachchan.
This comes as little surprise as Dhoni shined in badminton and football during his childhood and was selected to play these sports at the district and club level.
CONCLUSION- The entire nation was left in tears when he bid adieu to Test cricket on 30th December 2014. Criticism has become a part and parcel of his life. He is a human being after all. When things go beyond his control, he doesn’t waste any time to smash the unnecessary questions for sixes, akin to how he hits the bad deliveries out of the ground.
Nevertheless, you are undoubtedly one of the greatest gifts Indian cricket has ever received. May the candles on your cake outclass all your on-field statistics!!