Revitalising cricketing instincts
It is not everyone who gets to ask the cricketing legend M S Dhoni questions that are incisive and help understand what goes on inside his mind. So when I got this opportunity, I simply asked, ‘What revitalises your cricketing instincts: audience reactions, a great batting pitch, or bowling that succumbs to your mighty hits?’
Dhoni immediately said, ‘Audience. Reason being, we play for the country. And if good cricket can get the audience sit on the edge or get the desired result it makes my day. I have always felt that the Indian cricket team brings a genuine smile to the faces of people. To have this in today’s world is a luxury.’
‘Lovely,’ I replied, ‘So at such moments have you ever had the urge to turn back shout: ‘Jiyo ji bhar ke’?’
Dhoni smiled and said, ‘The reality is quite different when you’re down there on the pitch… and, you see, I am a wicket-keeper… so even if I yell, the maximum distance my voice will reach is the leg umpire. The crowd will never be able to hear.’ He then added that most of the time a cricketer doesn’t have the time for personal thoughts on the pitch. Focus is what rules his mind. So when another journalist asked about his thoughts after hitting the winning six in the World Cup, he said, ‘Personally there were no thoughts. A good game happens when you’re enjoying playing it. It is important to have fun. But I am sure I felt relieved after that six. It was the best atmosphere in the stadium – you know, 15 runs before the final six happened, the whole stadium was full of excitement. But at that moment there were no thoughts in the mind. The mind was just aware of the way excitement was moving from one end to the other of the stadium.’
Now if you’re wondering where this interaction took place, let me just say that it was an event at Ambience Mall Gurgaon where 120 contest winners of the #RevitalHcheckinwithdhoni had this wonderful opportunity to meet MS Dhoni and watch his Untold Story of hard work & success. Subodh Marwah VP & Business Head, also told me that they had launched ‘a 360 degree campaign through TV, digital, print, and radio, cinema where consumers were given an opportunity to check-in with MS Dhoni by sharing their selfie with Revital H. By the way, there were three lakh check-ins in a short period of 3 weeks.’ I guess we have already reached a stage where digital campaigns impact our lives in ways that were not understood a few years back.
But talking of Dhoni and his responses, let me also add here that though this man is the brand ambassador for Revital-H, he did say that ‘though Revital is a quality product but at the end of the day it is simply a supplement to your life-style. You really need to follow a strict diet and a very active life because ideas about a great life keep evolving as the lifestyles have changed a lot.’
Coming back to cricketing instincts and the way Dhoni perceives the game, he told us that ‘life is all about taking risks and so it is the right decisions taken at the right time that create history… and it is never about the best decisions.’ We were there at PVR not just for an interaction but to also watch his biopic and Dhoni did admit that the decision to make the movie ‘happened quite quickly and I didn’t realise at that time that things would move at such speed. By the way, the movie goes on for 3 hours and it is about my journey. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.’
Frankly, I did love the movie… and I shall talk about it in my review.
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#RevitalHcheckinwithdhoni M S Dhoni, the cricketing legend has a stance that reflects the type of cricket he plays
#RevitalHcheckinwithdhoni Dhoni is a friendly person who never fumbled nor stumbled in his answers… almost the way he behaves on the field!
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Arvind Passey
04 October 2016
