July 7 marks the birthday of the best number ‘7’ produced in the game of cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
His rise to stardom is a lullaby in many Indian households. Starting from humble beginnings and against all the odds, Dhoni rose through the ranks and booked his berth in the star-studded Indian team, forging a reputation of his own.
Soon, Dhoni took over the helms of captaincy and guided India to unscaled heights by winning all ICC titles.
After deciding to step down from captaincy, Dhoni handed over a well-built team to young Virat Kohli and then resumed his services as a wicket-keeping batsman in white-ball cricket until the 2019 ODI World Cup.
On this auspicious day, let’s have a look at top 10 quotes from Dhoni that will surely make you smile:
1. “I don’t study cricket too much. Whatever I have learned or experienced is through cricket I’ve played on the field,”- on being asked how he studied cricket.
2. “I believe in giving more than 100% on the field, and I don’t really worry about the result. If there’s great commitment on the field, that’s victory for me,” – on being appointed as captain in 2008.
3. “Since 2005, I have not spent much time with my family. In fact, I have spent more time at the Taj Lands End in Mumbai,” on missing home, back in 2011.
4. “What needs to be done at the moment is more important than any of these emotions,” – when asked about Captain Cool’s ability to handle pressure.
5. “I never thought of playing for any other franchise other than CSK. Chennai is my second home. Fans here have adopted me as one of their own,” on Chennai Super Kings’ comeback in 2018.
6. “I’m quite used to playing with few injuries, whether it is back, fingers, elbow, or something else. You have to be tough and get on with the game,” – Mahi on playing with an injured back for CSK against Kings XI Punjab.
7. “Frankly, I never thought I would represent my country one day. Now I’m leading my country, so it’s like a fairytale. I never thought I’d do these things. I lived in the moment, I kept working hard,”
8. “I love being in the present. When I was playing for school, the only thing I wanted was to get selected for U-16 or U-19 district teams. When I was selected for the district I would think of the next level, getting selected for state side. I’m a person who lives in the moment,”- when asked about his future plans post-2015 World Cup.
9. “Self-confidence has always been one of my good qualities. I am always very confident. It is in my nature to be confident, to be aggressive. And it applies in my batting as well as wicket keeping,”- on Adam Gilchrist as his idol.
10. “From when I was a young boy, I read books on weapons and tanks and combat. I was so interested in the army,” said the honorary ranked of Lieutenant Colonel, well-renowned for his patriotism.
