His approach to the game was a complete dichotomy to his background, a rich kid, who had a fleet of chauffeur-driven cars waiting for him to be taken to practice.
Former selector Raja Venkat, who was part of the committee which picked the victorious Indian team for the 2011 World Cup, says the current selectors are not doing things the right way.
A look at how India have fared in their World Cup opening games.
Tactical genius, uplifting leader, altruistic individual, a man with unwavering certitude. Dhruv Munjal recounts what made Mahendra Singh Dhoni a great captain.
However, if anyone has unfinished business over a decade of IPL, it is India captain Virat Kohli. He made his intent amply clear earlier this week.
Ricky Ponting was the coach of Mumbai Indians for three seasons and Rohit Sharma spent a lot of time with the former Australian skipper.
India defeated Pakistan by six wickets in a Super 10 Group 2 match to record their first win in the ICC World Twenty20 in Kolkata on Saturday. Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 55 to guide India home in their chase of 119.
Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com picks his IPL Dream Team of Season 9. Check it out!
A bundle of nerves ahead of his international debut in the ongoing Asia Cup, India all-rounder Pawan Negi said emotions were getting the better of him before senior players like skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped in with their calming words.
'He asked us to spread awareness on social distancing and hygiene. He spoke about how we need Virat's (Kohli) fighting spirit to win this battle'
Skipper Virat Kohli smashed a majestic 122 while Kedar Jadhav conjured up a career-best 120 before India's lower middle-order held nerves to pull off an incredible three-wicket victory over England in the first One-day International.
With part-timers like Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma capable of bowling a few overs of spin, India might have ended up picking one spinner too many in their squad, says Harish Kotian.
Indian batsmen wilted under pressure and lost the plot in the final over after nearly pulling it off as England narrowly beat the hosts by five runs in a thrilling third and final ODI to prevent a clean sweep, in Kolkata, on Sunday.
The cricket fraternity from across the globe reacted with shock and sadness at the sad demise of Australian batsman Philip Hughes.
Half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and J P Duminy hit half-centuries before South Africa survived a late assault from Mahendra Singh Dhoni to edge past favourites India by four runs in the ICC World T20 warm-up match at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, on Saturday.
Hoping to end their 10-match losing streak in the IPL cricket tournament, Delhi Daredevils will look to turn their fortunes around on home turf when they take on an upbeat Rajasthan Royals at the Feroz Shah Kotla.
Seeing Dubliner Eoin Morgan become England's World Cup skipper was a 'wee bit irritating' for Ireland.
Shikhar Dhawan set the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur alight as India beat the West Indies by five wickets in the final One-day International and clinched the three-match series 2-1 on Wednesday. After the home side restricted the visitors to 263 for 5, the dashing opener scored a breezy 119 off 95 deliveries to overhaul the target with 23 balls to spare.
Despite taking a career-best six for four in an ODI against Bangladesh in Dhaka in June, Stuart Binny is, however, yet to win the confidence of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and the team management. He was benched throughout the ODI series in England before being dropped for the recent controversy-ridden ODI series against the West Indies.
The Indian team's batting woes continued as they lost their opening warm-up tie of the ICC World T20 against Sri Lanka by five runs in Dhaka on Monday.
With it's scandalous past, still fresh in the minds of fans and critics alike, the Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers will look to ensure that the focus remains firmly on cricket when the cash-rich event gets underway with a glamorous opening ceremony on Tuesday.
Inzamam-ul-Haq says the tenure has been the most challenging of his professional career as he was subjected to 'hurtful criticism'
India stormed into the final of the ICC World T20 with a resounding six-wicket victory over South Africa in the second semi-final, in Mirpur, on Friday night. Chasing South Africa's competitive total of 173, India, led by a scintillating unbeaten 76 by Virat Kohli, completed the task with five deliveries to spare and reach their second World T20 final.
With a tally of 19 wickets in the series so far, Moeen Ali is the second highest-wicket taker from both sides after team mate James Anderson, who has 21 dismissals to his name. Incidentally, only three spinners have taken more wickets against India outside Asia.
Indian opener K L Rahul hit pay dirt with a Rs 11 crore deal with Kings XI Punjab, while controversial England all-rounder Ben Stokes also triggered a bidding war before going to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.50 crore at the IPL auctions, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
India registered a resounding victory in the T20 series-opener against Australia, and following their clinical performance Sunil Gavaskar feels the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side will start as favourites at the upcoming World Twenty20 at home.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag says he would love to be a mentor or a batting consultant for any IPL team which will give him a chance to share his knowledge with youngsters.
The former opening batsman picked India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as the four semi-finalists in the upcoming tournament Down Under.
India, along with the mighty Australia, will start as title contenders in the ICC Champions Trophy.
India's middle-order batsman Manish Pandey said his main aim is to keep scoring runs whenever he gets an opportunity and push for a permanent berth in the playing eleven.
'...India has a really good top-order line-up and they bat out nearly 30-35 overs in ODIs with guys like Virat (Kohli) and then MS Dhoni comes ahead of me (at times). So yeah, with some more chances, I feel I can deliver a lot more than what I am doing right now' 'Over the last couple of years, Indian batting has also been doing very well. So you have to be very patient for your chances'
In opting for an extra spinner, says Harish Kotian/Rediff.com, India have picked a batsman less.
Unlike before when England players were not available for the lucrative Indian Premier League auctions, the scenario will be different this time feels limited overs captain Eoin Morgan.
The team's ability to stay calm under intense pressure and manage the "chaotic situation" with a cool head paved the way for the nerve-wracking one-run victory over Bangladesh in the ICC World Twenty20 in Bengaluru on Wednesday, says captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Rohit Sharma says the South African conditions are not a problem for the Indian batsmen and the fault lay mainly in the lack of big partnerships, which he said resulted in the visitors already losing the three-match series after back-to-back defeats.
Sri Lanka, who won the last edition of the World T20 in 2014, have 21 wins from 31 matches in the six editions of the tournament, while India have 17 victories from 28 games. Check out the records of the previous five editions of the World T20.
Aruneel Sadadekar/Rediff.com lists seven memorable moments from the week gone by in IPL 9.
A round-up of Vijay Hazare Trophy matches played across the country on Friday
Former India batsman V V S Laxman, who always reserved his best for the mighty Australia, feels that Suresh Raina 'needs a lot of clarity' as to how he would find a solution against short-pitched bowling.
'As far as batting is concerned, obviously the one area we look to focus on is to maintain our batting techniques and use T20s and ODIs as an extension of our Test batting' 'But I think these guys have shown character and stuck it out whenever we've been under pressure. And that, to me, is the stand out of this series as a captain'
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