Dear Mahi (Happy Birthday, Dhoni)

Sharing a post i wrote on MSD's birthday :) It fetched me over 10k likes on FB and around 35k on Instagram :) I'm proud of this piece of my writing. Spare a moment, maybe?

Dear Mahi,
I'm not a cricket fan. I share my birthday with Sachin Tendulkar. But, I'm not really a Sachin fan, either. I can't quote match stats. I don't remember who played when and against whom. I am least bothered with records and runs. But, I guess, I'm a Dhoni fan, after all.

No, it isn't particularly because I witnessed a small town boy from the interiors grow into the coolest captain India has ever seen. It isn't because I saw somebody who shied away from press conferences, become the wittiest, one of the most camera friendly cricketers the world has ever seen. It isn't because of the huge list of unparalleled statistics in your favour, nor is it because of the laurels you've brought to our nation.

As I said before, I've never been impressed only by cricket.

There are many other things about you that impress me. It doesn't take me a lot to fall for people. A smile, an act of chivalry, a little compliment and I will gush about it for months. So, you can imagine why I fell for you, over and over again.

You didn't give up. It's easier to stay down when life kicks you than it's to dream. Losing people you love, giving up a secure job, chasing your passion ceaselessly are all hard things to do. I fell for your grit.

Taking tough decisions, going against popular mandate, bringing tectonic shifts to a team more fanatically worshipped than God are all risky things to do. I fell for your courage.

Sharing the spotlight and not taking all credit are tough things to do. I fell for your humility.

I fell for you every time you brought a wicket from matches won, home. I fell for run outs quicker than lightning. I fell for helicopter shots, brave sixes that helped us seal victory and earned you the befitting tag, Finisher.

I'm not a cricket fan. But, I watched the whole of the 2011 world cup for you. Every single match. I cried when we got the trophy. And I fell for you, once more, when you let your team hold it for you.

Yours,
Because you made me bleed blue.

~ garima behal