To Ziva, Dhoni’s Daughter - We salute your Father

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

Dhoni and Nehra, u SUCK...really ?

I HAD TO WRITE THIS ONE.

i didn't plan to write this, but the moment i opened my Facebook page, i realized i had to write this. not to stir your souls or to make a point...i am writing this for my own sake, for my mind and for my soul.

Mr MS Dhoni, what was the need to face 37 balls and score a MERE 12 runs for your team, anyways that would have just pre-poned our defeat by an over, right? what was the need to stick on the crease for so long when others were throwing their wicket away like they were used condoms? what was the need to use Nehra in the last over when you had Harbhajan Singh available?

Mr Ashish Nehra, why did you bowl the last over? why did you go for a six and an UNLUCKY four in your last over when we wanted to win the game?

from the TV room to the lobby of snack shack where i witnessed the last over of the match, i kept hearing people blaming them and what's worse, abusing them. well, we are good at abusing others. i mean when we don't spare our own friends, why should we spare these mere mortal normal human beings who are trying to make us proud by winning a effing cricket match for us. i am one of them i admit, i also take a lot of pleasure in abusing others, i guess thats our way of showing love, isn't it?

tell me guys, did it ever cross your mind...why dhoni wanted to bat till the 50th over? why didn't he tried for big shots in the slog overs like others did? 

lemme answer this. i believe that he wanted to bat till the last over to add whatever he could to stretch our total.as he pointed out later - "The second powerplay, what is important is you don't play for the crowd you play for your country. We should have batted the full fifty overs". he wasn't at his best, i admit it too but so were Pathan,Yuvraj and Kohli. but just think if these 3 would have played sensibly without throwing away their wicket and added a minimum of even 5 runs each, our total would have been 311 and i am not adding the contribution by the lower order cause i don't expect them to do miracles when other so called specialist batsmen went down. and don't you think 311 would have been better than 296 in any damn case?

i reckon most of you hate Dhoni because he isn't playing his natural sparkling game any more but that doesn't means you have to blame him for everything. yes, he makes mistakes cause he is nothing but a human being like us, but he shouldn't be cursed for all the mistakes that the team makes. and as far as choosing Nehra over Bhajji is considered, i am sure you all will agree that to whack a spinner is easier than hitting a fast bowler. too bad that it wasn't nehra's day nor dhoni's and so we lost but still to blame Nehra for this defeat is like acting like those kindergarten kids, the way they blame the floor for hurting them every time they fall down. this coming from someone who was never a big fan of Ashish Nehra.

Basically, its all about India. you all want that India wins, just like me. times like this are the one when our team needs us the most. instead of blaming them and abusing them, show your support cause there is always a next chance and we learn only when we fall.

secondly, we don't deserve to say anything. they have earned their place in the team and we are just sitting in our tv rooms without feeling the pressure the way they have on their broad shoulders. please don't over burden these shoulders with your curse but extend your support to their tired shoulders, they will surely accept a fresh pair of hands to support them. after all, JEETEGA TOH INDIA HI, kisi bhi haal mein!

cheeers guys...for INDIA!

here is a quote that crossed my mind from the movie Robin Hood -

''Rise and rise again until lambs become lions''

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PS - i am not a big fan of DHONI or NEHRA. i have loved SACHIN and DRAVID always, they are my fav players.
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Playing in my head - "Nightmare" by Avenged Sevenfold

Manchester United-my creation (1993 vs 2010)

these are the 2 pics which clearly show the rise of manchester united as a team...throughout the years,as we kept on rising....liverpool stayed at a standstill...this is the answer to them..."YOU TOLD US TO COME BACK WHEN HE HAD 18....WE ARE BACK" !!!!