'Thalaiva' Dhoni an inspiration not just for cricketers, but India's junior hockey team captain too
Former Indian captain and Chennai Super Kings' legend MS Dhoni has inspired millions globally, including budding sportstars not just in the field of cricket.
FollowMS Dhoni has inspired millions globally in the field of cricket. The former Indian captain and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend's contribution towards the sport is unparalleled and has for decades been an example of a brilliant strategic mind, coupled with his calmness and inevitable cool-as-cucumber outlook in tense situations. After guiding CSK to it's 5th IPL title win last month, all eyes are on the 'Thalaiva' to see if he retires from the T20 league. But regardless, the stalwart's fever has not gripped budding cricketers, but young Indian hockey players as well. Uttam Singh, Indian junior hockey team's captain, is one such individual.
Uttam has accomplished everything, and a lot of it is due to the fact that he watched Dhoni in action. Whether it was scoring in sudden death against Australia or taking the initiative against Pakistan, Uttam has done it all. In an interview with PTI, Uttam Singh lauded the CSK captain and said, "I am a big fan of MS Dhoni. Whether he is chasing 400 runs, or defending just 100 runs, he remains cool. Spectators feel the pressure in nail-biting finishes, but he does not. Never."
"He (Dhoni) is an inspiration for all the players. I have learnt from him that your opponent or anybody should never know what is going inside you during a match. I am happy that he has decided to play in the IPL next year too," he added.
The Uttam-led Indian side narrowly defeated Pakistan 2-1 in the Men's Junior Asia Cup 2023 final in Salalah, Oman, in front of a nearly capacity crowd to successfully retain its title. The captain scored twice in a shootout as India defeated Australia in November 2022 to win the Sultan of Johor Cup. He states that India aimed to maintain its top ranking in Asia when asked about their performance in the recently finished Junior Asia Cup.
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"Junior Asia Cup was held after a gap of nine years. We were the defending champions and wanted to beat Pakistan in terms of number of titles also," said Uttam, who was adjudged player of the match in the final, told PTI in his interview.
India had previously won the Junior Asia Cup in 2004, 2008, and 2015, making this their fourth championship. With three championships, Pakistan is the second-most successful team in the competition, but their most recent victory was 27 years ago.
"India and Pakistan matches always carry additional pressure in any sport. We knew what it meant to win or lose a final against Pakistan. We also wanted to retain the number one ranking in Asia and number four status in the world," Uttam Singh noted.
He claimed that the group's self-assurance was so great that it began preparing for the championship game before the semifinal game had ended.
"We had a draw against Pakistan in a pool match and did not want to take any chances. We also wanted to retain No. 1 ranking in Asia and No. 4 status in world ranking. Pakistan had 4-5 players who had played big tournaments at senior level too. We had a couple of days break before the semifinal and utilised that to improve man-to-man marking and penalty corner defence," concluded the 20-year-old from Karampur village in Ghazipur, UP.
