I will call Mahendra Singh Dhoni 'Captain' for the rest of my life-Sushant Singh Rajput
8:00 AM
The actor, who was applauded for his fine on-screen portrayal of his cricket idol in the biopic MS Dhoni: The Untold Story, expresses his thoughts to BT after Captain Cool resigned as the skipper of the ODIs and T20 on Wednesday...
BOMBAY TIMES (January 6, 2017)
I clearly remember that day
in 2005. I was in my college and had sneaked out to watch an
India-Pakistan match, all excited. We didn't start well, but then this
guy (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) walked up confidently to the crease and I was
told that he hails from Ranchi. I was instantly reminded about the hard
work and belief that must have gone behind that walk, as I too was born
in Patna and
understood that it required the skills of a super human for a guy
belonging to that city to break into the mainstream.
He scored a massive century and I have been his fan ever since. I followed him till he got us the 2007 T20 World Cup and somehow, in the same year, I got a picture clicked with him in Mohali, which I still cherish.
For a decade, Dhoni showed what a leader should be like, which is selfless. He led by example - aggressive, but with the calmness of a Zen master. I was and I will always be intrigued by how he thinks. After a few years, I was given the responsibility of knowing him personally and telling his story to millions of his fans. My respect for him only grew exponentially. Today, I'm writing this with a heavy heart as he resigns from captaincy. And with a smile, reminiscing all the beautiful memories he has given us as a leader and made us immensely proud of ourselves as Indians. I fondly call him 'Captain' whenever I get a chance to meet him and trust me, no decision of his can stop me from calling him the same for the rest of my life.
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Sushant Singh Rajput on MS Dhoni’s decision to step down as skipper
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 6, 2017)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) intimated through a press release on Wednesday that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is set to step down as the captain of the Indian ODI and T20 cricket teams. The news sent shockwaves across the country. For Sushant Singh Rajput who brought MSD to life on screen in Neeraj Pandey’s biopic, the news is yet to sink in. “A lot of thought must have gone into the decision. Over the last decade, the word ‘captain’ had become synonymous with Mahi,” says the 30-year-old actor who is holidaying in the Dubai desert.
Dhoni captained India in 199 One-Day Internationals, winning 110 and losing 74, with four ties and 11 no-results. While a few of the said matches were depicted in the film, others didn’t pass muster in the edit room. “But during my prep, I must have watched almost all of his innings multiple times,” Sushant admits, adding that the 2005 Vizag century against Pakistan and the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka are his favourite matches. “Even the test match in which he, so graciously, let Dada (Sourav Ganguly) captain the side for the last time.”
Ask Sushant if MSD had ever let on about this decision to him and he says, “He would never do that. The nation and the team are his top priorities and that’s never up for debate. And a decision once made is non-negotiable,” Sushant asserts.
Mahi however confided in Sushant about the toughest part of being a skipper. “He’d tell me about times when he’d have to take equations among teammates into consideration and what he thought would be right in certain situations, which we highlighted in the film. In one of the interviews he gave at Sachin Tendulkar’s book launch, he mentioned that when he was a new captain he would feel awkward asking the Master Blaster to field at a particular position but still did it,” Sushant reveals.
Reports suggest that Dhoni will be available for the selection of the One-Day and T20 series against England. Sushant insists that every match that the cricketer plays, either as a skipper or a team member, he plays for the team. “His approach and style may change depending on what the new captain and team expects of him, but it’s always a delight to watch him on the field,” he says.
Does he echo the perception that Dhoni is the best captain the Indian cricket team’s ever had? “It’s subjective, but for me, ‘captain’ and Dhoni are synonymous. I call him ‘captain’ and nothing is going to stop me from calling him that for the rest of my life,” Sushant signs off.
He scored a massive century and I have been his fan ever since. I followed him till he got us the 2007 T20 World Cup and somehow, in the same year, I got a picture clicked with him in Mohali, which I still cherish.
For a decade, Dhoni showed what a leader should be like, which is selfless. He led by example - aggressive, but with the calmness of a Zen master. I was and I will always be intrigued by how he thinks. After a few years, I was given the responsibility of knowing him personally and telling his story to millions of his fans. My respect for him only grew exponentially. Today, I'm writing this with a heavy heart as he resigns from captaincy. And with a smile, reminiscing all the beautiful memories he has given us as a leader and made us immensely proud of ourselves as Indians. I fondly call him 'Captain' whenever I get a chance to meet him and trust me, no decision of his can stop me from calling him the same for the rest of my life.
-----------------------------
Sushant Singh Rajput on MS Dhoni’s decision to step down as skipper
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 6, 2017)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) intimated through a press release on Wednesday that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is set to step down as the captain of the Indian ODI and T20 cricket teams. The news sent shockwaves across the country. For Sushant Singh Rajput who brought MSD to life on screen in Neeraj Pandey’s biopic, the news is yet to sink in. “A lot of thought must have gone into the decision. Over the last decade, the word ‘captain’ had become synonymous with Mahi,” says the 30-year-old actor who is holidaying in the Dubai desert.
Dhoni captained India in 199 One-Day Internationals, winning 110 and losing 74, with four ties and 11 no-results. While a few of the said matches were depicted in the film, others didn’t pass muster in the edit room. “But during my prep, I must have watched almost all of his innings multiple times,” Sushant admits, adding that the 2005 Vizag century against Pakistan and the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka are his favourite matches. “Even the test match in which he, so graciously, let Dada (Sourav Ganguly) captain the side for the last time.”
Ask Sushant if MSD had ever let on about this decision to him and he says, “He would never do that. The nation and the team are his top priorities and that’s never up for debate. And a decision once made is non-negotiable,” Sushant asserts.
Mahi however confided in Sushant about the toughest part of being a skipper. “He’d tell me about times when he’d have to take equations among teammates into consideration and what he thought would be right in certain situations, which we highlighted in the film. In one of the interviews he gave at Sachin Tendulkar’s book launch, he mentioned that when he was a new captain he would feel awkward asking the Master Blaster to field at a particular position but still did it,” Sushant reveals.
Reports suggest that Dhoni will be available for the selection of the One-Day and T20 series against England. Sushant insists that every match that the cricketer plays, either as a skipper or a team member, he plays for the team. “His approach and style may change depending on what the new captain and team expects of him, but it’s always a delight to watch him on the field,” he says.
Does he echo the perception that Dhoni is the best captain the Indian cricket team’s ever had? “It’s subjective, but for me, ‘captain’ and Dhoni are synonymous. I call him ‘captain’ and nothing is going to stop me from calling him that for the rest of my life,” Sushant signs off.
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