Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a celestial figure in the Indian cricket fraternity. He is an epic inspiration to many. He is one of the very few personalities to have fans almost in all parts of the world. He is known for the knack of finishing games from the jaws of defeat. He knows what is it like to hold the nerves in pressure situations and that’s why he is so super cool, calm and composed.
Former India captain MS Dhoni and billiards and ace snooker player Pankaj Advani were honoured with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Both the great icons MS Dhoni and Advani have essayed flamboyant honours in their respective careers. MS Dhoni’s achievements in cricket are well known.
The ‘helicopter shot’ man is the only captain to win all the three ICC trophies, in what is a massive achievement. MS Dhoni is regarded as one of India’s most successful skippers of all time. His talent was recognised when he escorted the young players in the right way.
The manner which he led the team meticulously helped India win the inaugural edition of 2007 World Cup. Having shown great insights as a skipper in T20Is, he was given a responsibility to lead the side in ODIs and also became the Test captain after Anil Kumble called it quits from all forms the game.
MS Dhoni’s astute leadership traits once again came into play as he led India to the top of the Test rankings, the first time the nation reached the summit. Success followed in Mahi’s way and India’s position was in safe hands under him. With a calm and collective mindset, he led India to the World Cup in 2011, ending India’s 28-year trophy drought.
Captain Cool didn’t just stop there. He had the vision to spice it up in team’s passage of play as he led the Champions Trophy 2013 to victory. He called it quits from Test cricket in 2014 and in January 2017, resigned limited overs captaincy too that saw Virat Kohli taking over him in all three formats.
MS Dhoni is one of the best wicketkeepers in the cricketing world. The way he whips the bails off faster than the blink of an eye shows how quick he is behind the stumps. Not to forget the fact that he is a terrific runner between the wickets. He is the 11th Indian cricketer to claim the Padma Bhushan and the first since Rahul Dravid in 2013.
Advani is deemed as the best billiards and snooker player to have ever come out of India. He has won a total of 8 world titles in as many years and a sum of 19 to his standards. Advani defended his Asian Billiards Championships title by trouncing his practice partner B Bhaskar 6-1 in the epic battle in Yangon, Myanmar. He is the only Indian, Asian and world champion in billiards for 2017-18.
Advani expressed his disappointment after being ignored for the Padma Bhushan in the year 2017. Then Sports Minister Vijay Goel had felicitated him for winning the Billiards nationals on his official Twitter platform to which Advani replied, “Thank you, sir. Just feel after 16 world titles and 2 Asian games golds if I’m ignored for a Padma Bhushan, don’t know what more I need to do (sic.),” he tweeted.
Feast your eyes by watching this video:
#WATCH Billiards player Pankaj Advani and Cricketer MS Dhoni conferred with Padma Bhushan by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi pic.twitter.com/XgPTHWsxBl
— ANI (@ANI) April 2, 2018
