Dhoni’s passion for bikes

To have something in common with the Indian cricket team's captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni can be any fan's dream. Members of city-based bikers' group Road Survivors got to live that when they met Dhoni, who agreed to meet them after going through a report about them in Times of India on Wednesday. The avid bikers talked to him about his love for motorcycles. They also gifted a T-shirt of their club to Dhoni at Taj hotel.

However, MSD politely turned down their request to join the club saying he did not have much time for biking anymore. Nine members of the club reached the hotel at around 12.30pm. Initially, cops turned down their demand of meeting Dhoni as they claimed he was meditating. Luckily for them, the bikers met a member of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who then got in touch with the champion.

One of the club's members, Aditya Mohan, said the CSK squad member told them that Dhoni had read the TOI report, which had mentioned that they wanted to meet him. ''He said Dhoni was coming to meet us. We were delighted to know that we would finally get to see him. After about 30 minutes, Dhoni arrived and spoke about his passion for biking,' Aditya said.

Dhoni told members of Road Survivors (also known as Chandigarh Royal Enfield Club) that he owned a Royal Enfield Machismo and loved to ride his Rajdoot 350 whenever he got time. ''MSD enquired about the club and its expeditions. He was interested in knowing when we rode and how many members we had,' Aditya added. Dhoni also asked the motorcyclists about their Ladakh trips as they gifted him a key chain they had brought from there.

One of the bikers, Mohali-based Manpreet Walia, also handed a vuvuzela made in his factory to the Indian captain. They also had a four-year-old with them, who gifted Dhoni a drawing made by him as MSD left for a team meeting.

Dhoni - the finest captain in the last three decades

India's emphatic World Cup victory has proved beyond doubt they are currently the best all-round cricket team. MS Dhoni's polished performance as skipper, where he pushed, prodded and cajoled his side into peaking at the right time, has shown he's not only the best leader in the game but also one of the finest of the last 30 years. His performance ranks him with the other top class leaders of that period; Imran Khan, Mark Taylor and Arjuna Ranatunga.

Unlike their predecessors as the number one ranked team -- (West Indies and Australia) -- India do not have a dominant attack. Considering that bowlers win matches, this makes Dhoni's performance even more meritorious; he's emulated Ranatunga in conjuring up a World Cup victory with a moderate attack.

Dhoni has smoothly switched to the Indian Premier League, where defending champions Chennai Super Kings have started with a victory.

No Challengers
As there's no indication India are on the verge of unearthing a couple of world-class bowlers and three of their best Test batsmen are closer to retirement, Dhoni has a serious challenge on his hands to keep the team at the top of the longer game rankings. However, he can take comfort from the fact that none of the stronger teams look likely to surge past India.

This is one of the reasons why the World Cup was so fascinating; all the teams were flawed. Consequently it was an extremely open tournament. With three consecutive World Cup finals [1999, 2003 & 2007] dominated by Australia, the tournament badly needed the upsets and strong finale that 2011 provided.

Spin trouble
India were also the most capable batting side against spinners. However, the World Cup exposed a worrying trend, of batsmen whose footwork is inadequate against spin bowling.

This is even more of a concern when you consider that, of the three great 21st century spinners, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne and Anil Kumble, only the Sri Lankan was in attendance; and by the end of the tournament, he was virtually on one leg. There seems to be a train of thought amongst batsmen from some countries that it's less dangerous to employ all manner of zany, premeditated shots, than it is to counter spin bowling with sharp footwork. This kind of warped thinking is either a product of poor early coaching or lazy batting, or more likely a combination of both.

Whilst this was a successful World Cup, the ICC should always be looking for ways to improve it. The introduction of a qualifying tournament and the distribution of a paper by Indian coaches on how to teach young batsmen the correct footwork against spin bowling would be a step in the right direction.

Sufficient Distinction,Rewards for Team India

Laurels and rewards flowed for the Indian cricket team on Sunday, a day after it won the World Cup, with several state governments announcing cash awards and other incentives for the members of the victorious squad. President Pratibha Patil felicitated the team and shook hands with each player at a "high tea" on the lawns of the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.

Patil and her husband, Devisingh Shekhawat shook hands with each Indian player, starting with skipper M.S. Dhoni.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan announced a special award of Rs.1 crore each for Maharashtra players Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan.

He also announced a reward for the Maharashtrian support staff in the Indian team which would match the award by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The BCCI had on Saturday announced a reward of Rs.1 crore to each member of the winning squad and Rs.50 lakh to each of the support staff.

The railway ministry announced on Sunday that members of the team will be given lifetime complimentary passes to travel by air-conditioned first class.

The passes will be available to the players along with one companion for unlimited free travel in the country, the ministry said in a press statement.

Congratulating the team after their win on Saturday, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee had appealed to the central government to declare Monday a national holiday to celebrate the achievement.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda announced in Ranchi that land would be allotted to local boy Dhoni to set up a cricket academy and school here.

The Jharkhand government also said it would confer an honorary doctorate on Dhoni - who is yet to complete his graduation.

Dhoni, 29, is doing his graduation from St. Xavier's College in Ranchi. He has been unable to complete the course due to his tight schedule.

Jharkhand earlier gifted a 4,000 sq feet plot and a Rs.11 lakh car to Dhoni when India won the T20 World Cup in 2007.

The Jharkhand unit of the Congress demanded India's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna be conferred on local boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni for leading India to victory in the cricket World Cup after 28 years.

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa announced that his government will allot free housing sites in the city to each of the 15 members of the Indian cricket squad that won the World Cup.

The documents will be presented to the 15 team members at a special function the state government will hold at the imposing Vidhana Soudha at the earliest.

The government plans to get in touch with the team through the BCCI to organise the function in Bangalore on a date convenient to them after the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Delhi government announced cash rewards of Rs.2 crore for Dhoni and Rs.1 crore each for the four Delhi players in the World Cup winning squad - Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra and Virat Kohli.

"Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has announced reward of Rs.2 crore for captain M.S. Dhoni, and Rs.1 crore each for Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra, and Virat Kohli," a statement from the government said:

Gambhir was the highest run getter in India's six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Saturday with his 97.

The Punjab government also announced cash rewards for Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, while Gujarat said it will confer its highest sports award, "Eklavya Puruskar" on Munaf Patel and Yusuf Pathan, who hail from the state. The award comprises Rs.1 lakh, a memento and a certificate of honour.