MSD, Dhoni, Mahi or Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not just the name of a person. It represents a culture in itself, a culture of sportsmanship, a mark of charisma and a never-say-die attitude at work. This book isn't yet another biography on Dhoni, nor it is a compilation of statistics on his cricket performance over the years. It is a commentary of his way of cricket and his art of living. Readers can choose to revel in this one-of-a-kind book on MSD, that presents a free-flow of how a genuine celebrity like him is perceived by a common fan.The name 'Dhoni' exudes rave fashion, a movement of goodness that comprises millions of heartbeats. With him, you never know when the lightning of cricket shots may strike upon the opposition team. Renowned for his prowess behind the stumps and for his much-talked-about 'Helicopter' shot as a batsman, Dhoni is no less than a rage in the cricket fraternity.
Mahi: The Story of India's Most Successful Captain charts the dynamic rise of one of India's most talented and charismatic cricketers and captains. From playing tennis-ball cricket in Ranchi and Kharagpur to his patented helicopter shot, Dhoni has come a long way with his grit and determination. With best ODI and Test records among all Indian captains to date, it is his simple and down-to-earth attitude that works wonders for the captain as well as the team.
For over a decade, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has captivated the world of cricket and over a billion Indians with his incredible ingenuity as captain, wicketkeeper and batsman. Bharat Sundaresan tracks down the cricketer's closest friends in Ranchi and artfully presents the different shades of Dhoni-the Ranchi boy, the fauji, the diplomat, Chennai's beloved Thala, the wicketkeeping Pythagoras-and lays bare the man underneath. He discovers a certain je ne sais quoi about the man who has a magical ability to transform and elevate everything which comes into his orbit-the Dhoni Touch. Funny, candid, and peppered with delicious anecdotes, The Dhoni Touch reveals an ordinary man living an extraordinary life.
About the Book THE MOST POPULAR BIOGRAPHY OF INDIA’S COOLEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL CRICKET CAPTAIN Mahendra Singh Dhoni is as calm and unruffled a sportsman on the field as he is self-effacing off it. But ‘brute strength’, ‘murderous form’ and ‘a man possessed’ were some of the phrases that came to mind when, on 5 April 2005 in Visakhapatnam, he exploded onto international consciousness by becoming the first regular Indian keeper to score a one-day century. With his striking form on the day, his long locks visible beneath his helmet, red tints glinting in the sunlight, ‘Mahi’ Dhoni had transformed from a boy hailing from an obscure small town to a sports legend with the aura of a rockstar. And yet, Dhoni was no child prodigy, no overnight success. When he made his international debut at 23, he was already mature by Indian cricket standards—with five grinding years of domestic cricket behind him. How that legend came to be, and grew from game to game, is told here by noted sportswriter Gulu Ezekiel in his crackling but measured prose. Captain Cool is the story of M.S. Dhoni, Indian cricket’s poster boy. It is also the heart-warming account of the life of a young man who won India the World Twenty20 in 2007, the 50-over World Cup title in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013, but can still tell his throngs of admirers, ‘I am the same boy from Ranchi.’ .
The first battle is lost. The book of Mritsanjeevani is in the wrong hands but Nagendra's plans are not limited only to immortality. What seemed to be the end of all wars was just the beginning of an incredible journey in search of a hidden verse. Om is still incomplete without the knowledge of his past, but he is not alone anymore. Two of the mightiest warriors of all time stand by his side. Two mysterious warriors stand unconditionally with Nagendra too or is there a hidden agendas behind all the allies? Who are LSD and Parimal in real and who is Om? Tighten your seat belts for an adventure in search of words that hold a bigger purpose than even immortality for Divinities and Demons.
Most of us would recognize a star leader by their charisma, emotional intelligence and public communication prowess. What is truly impressive but often overlooked is the silent work of leadership that garners real results. Exercising influence in a complex and global organization – whilst also shaping and executing strategies across borders in a disruptive age – is the true mark of success as a leader. Backstage Leadership takes a comprehensive look at the background processes that leaders must master in order to shape the culture, direction and capability of a successful company. With an emphasis on strategy, the author provides an integrated toolkit for developing your knowledge and skills as a 'backstage leader.' You will learn how to: Mobilize people towards new strategic directions Scan your business environment for threats and disruptive forces Diagnose and help to shape the culture of your organization Develop talent and capabilities towards a specific goal. Focusing on the key and consistent underlying processes of leadership, this book is essential reading for managers who wish to bring focus and coherence to their leadership role and integrate themselves within the engine of the organization.
‘That day I cried like a baby not because I feared what cancer would do but because I didn’t want the disease. I wanted my life to be normal, which it could not be.’ For the first time Yuvraj Singh tells the real story behind the 2011 World Cup when on-the-field triumph hid his increasingly puzzling health problems and worrying illnesses. In his debut book The test of my life, he reveals how—plagued with insomnia, coughing fits that left him vomiting blood, and an inability to eat—he made a deal with God. On the night before the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final, Yuvraj prayed for the World Cup in return for anything God wanted. In this book, he lays bare his fears, doubts, and the lows he experienced during chemotherapy—when he lost his energy, his appetite, and his hair—and his battle to find the will to survive. Poignant, personal, and moving—The test of my life—is about cancer and cricket; but more importantly, it is about the human will to fight adversity and triumph despite all odds.
Drawing from two political and several literary homelands, this collection presents a remarkable series of trenchant essays, demonstrating the full range and force of Salman Rushdie's remarkable imaginative and observational powers. With candour, eloquence and indignation he carefully examines an expanse of topics; including the politics of India and Pakistan, censorship, the Labour Party, Palestinian identity, contemporary film and late-twentieth century race, religion and politics. Elsewhere he trains his eye on literature and fellow writers, from Julian Barnes on love to the politics of George Orwell's 'Inside the Whale', providing fresh insight on Kipling, V.S. Naipaul, Graham Greene, John le Carré, Raymond Carver, Philip Roth and Thomas Pynchon among others. Profound, passionate and insightful, Imaginary Homelands is a masterful collection from one of the greatest writers working today.
Curt Flood, former star center fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, is a hero to many for selflessly sacrificing his career to challenge the legality of baseball’s reserve system. Although he lost his case before the Supreme Court, he has become for many a martyr in the eventually successful battle for free agency. Sportswriters and fans alike have helped to paint a picture of Flood as a larger-than-life figure, a portrait that, unhappily, cannot stand closer inspection. This book reveals the real Curt Flood—more man than myth. Flood stirred up a hornet’s nest by refusing to be traded from the Cardinals to the Philadelphia Phillies after the 1969 season, arguing that Major League Baseball’s reserve system reduced him to the status of bondage. Flood decided to resist a system in which his contract could be traded without his consent and in which he was not at liberty to negotiate his services in an open market. Stuart Weiss examines the man behind the decision, exploring the span of Flood’s life and shedding light on his relationships with those who helped shape his determination to sue baseball and providing a new perspective on the lawsuit that found its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Although a superb player, Flood was known to be temperamental and sensitive; in suing Major League Baseball he transformed his grievances against the Cardinals front office into an attack on how the business of big-league ball was conducted. Weiss shows that Flood was far from the stereotypical “dumb jock” but was rather a proud, multifaceted black man in a business run by white moguls. By illuminating Flood’s private side, rarely seen by the public, he reveals how Flood misled a gullible press on a regular basis and how his 1971 memoir, The Way It Is, didn’t tell it the way it really was. Drawing on previously untapped sources, Weiss examines more fully and deeply than other writers the complexities of Flood’s decision to pursue his lawsuit—and demonstrates that the picture of Flood as a martyr for free agency is a myth. He suggests why, of all the players traded or sold through the years, it was Flood who brought this challenge. Weiss also explains how Flood’s battle against the reserve system cannot be understood in isolation from the personal experiences that precipitated it, such as his youth in a dysfunctional home, his troubled first marriage, his financial problems, and his unwavering commitment to the Cardinals. The Curt Flood Story is a realistic account of an eloquent man who presented a warm, even vulnerable, face to the public as well as to friends, while hiding his inner furies. It shows that Flood was neither a hero nor a martyr but a victim of unique circumstances and his own life.
