Mahendra Singh Dhoni, The ICC World Cup 2011 winning skipper for the Indian cricket team, leads five Indians who are included in the Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential personalities of the world. The list, released on Thursday, shows Dhoni holding the 52th position with Wael Ghonim, a Google executive, at the top of the hundred.
Besides Dhoni, the other four Indians are industrial tycoon and social activists including Mukesh Ambani, V.S Ramachandran, Azim Premji and Aruna Roy. The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is ranked six while the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, holds the 9th position.
Dhoni even tops the American president, Barack Obama. Dhoni is the second Indian captain to bring home the ICC Cricket World Cup title after a gap of 28 years. India won the first World Cup in 1983. India is credited to be the first hosting nation to claim the coveted Trophy in their home ground.
Dhoni led his side marvellously through the tournament as The Men in Blue played with great harmony and passion under his inspirational leadership. His performance in three roles as wicketkeeper, batsman and captain were commendable.
Having beaten their arch-rival Pakistan in the quarter-final, India won the World Cup 2011 by defeating Sri Lanka in the final game on April 2.
The publishers of the lost describes Dhoni as, “Universally acknowledged as India’s best captain ever. He has also its most likable, exuding both cool confidence and down-to-earth humility.” The magazine further writes, “Dhoni does not just lead a cricket team, he is also Inida’s captain of hope. And he did not just win India the World Cup; he also taught India how to win.”
The 29-year-old Dhoni has had many high points in his seven-year career. He was elevated to captaincy at a very early stage and led India on many occasions with success. With his excellent hold over midwicket, Dhoni possessed sterling batting skills. He is also leading the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) this season.
With a tag of World Champions, Dhoni has become a marketing goldmine. Many top brands of the world have signed him as their brand ambassador with large amounts of money. He is also a brand ambassador of the Indian Election Commission. Possessing a charming personality, he is as influential on TV screen as on the field of cricket.
The title of the Time magazine is a matter of great honour for Dhoni and of great pride for India that poses to be a rapidly growing economy. After Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Kapil Dev, the Indians have also included MS Dhoni in the list legends whom they love. Indian mothers have even started naming their children after Dhoni.
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