Hi Ziva! By the time you are old enough to read and understand
this, you must have already heard everything about the great achievements of
your father – Mahendra Singh Dhoni aka Mahi aka Dhoni aka MSD.
It has been more than 20 days since your arrival and your
father hasn’t been able to see you, hasn’t been able to hold you, hasn’t been
able to see you smile. He hasn’t been there with you because he was on national
duty – leading team India in the ICC world cup 2015. And oh boy, what a leader
he has been. He had enough time to return back to India for a couple of days to
see you but he chose not to. He chose to stay in Australia and made sure that he
and his young team were fully prepared to fight against the world in order to
retain the world cup, which India won in 2011 under his superb captaincy.
Sadly, today is when it ends. Soon your father, along with
his team, will pack his bags and return back to India because India lost
against Australia in the semi-final today. I want to tell you that the whole
country is proud of your father and the way he led his team in this world cup.
Team India had a pretty rough couple of months leading to the world cup, 2015.
We performed very badly in the series prior to world cup and no one expected
India to perform well in the most coveted competition of the cricketing world.
But we did…your father and his team made sure we did.
Don’t believe anyone who says otherwise. Team India, under
your father’s captaincy, won 7 matches in a row in this world cup. We topped
the group stages and went on till the world cup semi-final where Australia
defeated us today, ending the dream run. I want you to know that even in loss,
we are proud of what your father has done for us. He led a team of young boys
and motivated them to act like men, always leading from the front. He was cool
when catches were dropped, he was cool when catches were taken, he was cool
when the required run rate was 15, he was cool when the required run rate was
5, he was cool when we were losing and he was cool when we were winning. No
wonder we all adore him as the captain cool.
I would also like to tell you that your father was a great
leader. His coolness, calmness and understanding of the game were something
that is unparalleled in the cricketing world. I won’t even mention the records
that are under his belt because this is not the time for numbers, this is the time
for words. You can ask anyone who has ever worked under a manager or a leader
in any organization and they will tell you Dhoni’s qualities are what they
would like to see in them. He motivated the youngsters, always led from the
front and whenever required, never hesitated in getting his own hands dirty, making
sure that the job was always finished by staying there till the end.
I want you to know that just like billions of Indians even
your 'cool' father will go to bed tonight with a heavy heart and a head full of
thoughts. I want you to know that even though we feel the pinch of pain, your
father would be the one taking the maximum toll. But let me tell you, your
father will be back, stronger than before. Because that’s what your father is –
a true cricket fan. Come tomorrow, he will carry on with the learning from this
series and will improve himself and the team. He will do what he does best –
play cricket and lead from the front.
I would like to conclude by telling you that you should be
proud of him. Just like the whole country is proud of him. Even today he fought
bravely and made sure that we didn't go down without a fight even though
players on the other end kept on leaving. I am sure that if you are reading
this today, you would already be proud of your father because there’s no reason
why he wouldn't have been an equally great father to you. And from all the
cricket fans across the globe, we thank your father from the bottom of our
hearts and wish you both a very healthy and happy life.
Thank you Dhoni, thank you for being a great leader, a true
gentleman, a thrilling finisher and an honest cricketer. We will never forget
your contributions to Indian cricket! #DareToBeDhoni
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Playing in my head: 'Zinda' from Lootera
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