In sports, today marks 15 years of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in international cricket. And the world has witnessed the amazing 15 years that Dhoni gave us and most importantly himself.
Ever since his debut, in 2004, against Bangladesh, a lot has changed in Dhoni in terms of his fluency with the game. However, the only thing that hasn’t changed is his humanity.
So cherishing the wonderful human that Dhoni is, herein we recall Dhoni’s 8 off-field facts that remind us that is he just as humans as we are.
1. Dhoni let his actions speak for him.
You will never find Dhoni unnecessarily ranting be it on the field or off the field. He cherishes the simplest of moments and settles for whatever offred. Like this instance when he slept on the floor of the airport after an IPL match.
The best part about this incident is that no one can call it a publicity stunt. Why? Because people know that Dhoni has forever been that way. Neve complaining, settling for whatever offered and making the best out to the situation given. Don’t believe me? Here’s another instance.
When play was stopped on one the grounds due to an unfortunate incident, this is what Dhoni opted for.
2. He can get hilarious and knows how to be a boss.
It was a match against England when Kohli had managed to get Kevin Peterson with two consecutive Yorkers. Kohli, after getting the wicket of Peterson, got excited and started trying different variations which included wide balls and byes as well.
Dhoni then walked up to Kohli and said: “Jitna bola hai utna kar, bowler mat bann”. Bossy? Yes he is.
3. He’s a true family man.
When Dhoni isn’t on the field, he is probably romancing his bikes, training with Army persons or having a good time with her wife Sakshi or her daughter Ziva.
4. Like most of us, Dhoni also drools over his pets.
Dhoni’s love for his pets is un-parallel. The former captain doesn’t only has a number of pets to hop around with, but also a pet-friendly house – just in case you need some inspiration.
The best part? His “dog collection” includes dogs he had adopted from streets and trusts across the country.
For him, the pets are invariably the best thing to come home to.
5. Cricket is not the only game that lures him.
Besides cricket, Dhoni is also fond of skydiving, football, and many other sports. Don’t tell me you haven’t seen his football skills during warm-up or practice sessions.
He is also a part of the Indian Army’s Parachute Regiment which is yet another sport he has mastered over time. He is a qualified paratrooper after having completed five parachute training jumps.
As a kid, he always wanted to become a goalkeeper and he has poached that dream of his in the deepest corner of his heart. Safely.
6. Once a desh bakht, always a desh bakht
Dhoni never says, but his actions are enough to send the message that he’s a true desh bakht. He holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army unit of the Parachute Regiment (106 Para TA battalion) which was conferred to him in 2011.
Dhoni always scout for moments where he can spend time with the Indian Army jawans. Recently he took a two months break from cricket and joined the Army troops in the militancy-infested south Kashmir region on July 30 to carry out patrolling, guard duties and similar responsibilities just like other soldiers.
When he goes to collect honours, Dhoni dons his Lieutenant clothes representing the real heroes of India.
7. His love for the things he owns is unparalleled
Dhoni has always been fond of bikes and collects them like you collect novels or any other thing you adore.
His celebrated bikes collection includes bikes including Kawasaki Ninja H2, Royal Enfield Bullet Machismo, Confederate Hellcat X132 and many more. Dhoni also has a pretty decent collection of cars that includes an Army car, Nissan Jonga.
8. Dhoni is a perfect host
Dhoni is the host that every party craves. Though he doesn’t get around much with friends or fellow cricketers, but when he does, it’s the best experience ever.
No party freaks would ever complain about being his company and why would they? He is like a pool of jewels that never gets empty no matter how much you scoop out from it.
9. Oh!! he’s multilingual too.
For the unknown, Dhoni is multilingual too. Insan nhi hera hai ye ladka…
Dhoni had once shared a video where he can be seen talking in six different launguages with Ziva. In the video, you can see him asking “how are you” in Tamil, Bangla, Gujarati, Bhojpuri, Punjabi and Urdu. Desi enough that you can relate? Indeed.
As Dhoni completes his 15 years in international cricket today, his appearance on the field has surely dimmed. People do argue that he should retire, unaware of the fact that if he gets that feeling from within, he would retire the next day.
