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Dhoni ties knot with longtime friend Sakshi

News4u-Sports Desk-DEHRADUN: Rapid-fire batting and a passion for fast bikes. That’s long been the Mahi way. And on Sunday, the Indian cricket captain’s love for speed was once again on display. Within a day of Dhoni’s engagement to Sakshi Singh Rawat, the couple got married at Vishranti Resort, located in the usually sleepy Lower Kandoli village, around 25km from Dehradun. In keeping with a romance that was kept tightly under wraps for almost two years, the wedding too was a fiercely private affair, with only family and close friends in attendance.

There were barely 50 guests, though some 10 dishes had been prepared. Given Dhoni’s son-of-the-soil, feet firmly grounded image, the cuisine was predictably all-Indian, with nary an exotic dish in sight.

Dhoni reportedly wore a midnight blue sherwani. Ashish, the man who got the mare that Dhoni rode to the wedding, was ecstatic at having the Indian skipper as a client. Said he, “Dhoni asked me the name of the mare. I told him it had two names, Rani and Bobby. He liked the second better. At the end of the ride, he gave me Rs 5,001.”

According to sources, the jaimala ceremony took place at 9.30pm followed by the pheras at 11pm. Dhoni wore a sehra, said to be priced at Rs 10,000, made by Charandas of Dehradun’s famous Paltan Bazar.

The resort, owned by former Ranji Trophy player Michael Dalvi, is in the thickets of the Mussorrie foothills. From Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Adhiraj Singh, to cricketers like Arun Lal and Bollywood royalty, it’s hosted them all. But Sunday’s ceremony could well make it a local tourist attraction.

Meanwhile, even as fans burst crackers and distributed sweets in Dhoni’s home town Ranchi, the ceremony itself was a closely-guarded affair.

The resort, spread over 125 acres, was ringed with two-tier security. The inner ring comprised private security guards while 400 policemen from Uttarakhand cordoned off the resort. Mediapersons were stopped 2km away from the resort. Sakshi’s cousin, IPS officer Abhilasha Bisht, was said to be helping supervise the security arrangements.

Actor John Abraham ^ a close friend of Dhoni’s who will be hosting a party for the couple in Mumbai on Wednesday ^ was among the celebrities present. Around half an hour before the auspicious time, Dhoni on horseback and other guests on foot moved to the bride’s place, located on the same resort’s premises.

John’s girlfriend and actress Bipasha Basu couldn’t be there, but tweeted her best wishes. “Wishing Mahi and Sakshi a very happy life together forever. Sad that I can’t be there,” she wrote.

Bipasha also revealed that contrary to the popular notion that Dhoni decided to get married on the spur of the moment, the wedding was planned months in advance.

“The wedding on Sunday night was all planned. But no one was supposed to know about it. Whatever the truth, we must all be happy for the couple. It’s party time!” she said.

Of the Indian cricketers, only Suresh Raina, R P Singh, and Harbhajan Singh were present. Raina, who’s known for his fancy footwork on the cricket pitch, was also reported to have displayed it with much gusto during the baraat procession.

BCCI bigwigs were also invited, but most couldn’t make it as they were busy inaugurating indoor cricket facilities in Ranchi. The notable exception who did turn up was N Srinivasan, vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements which owns Chennai Super Kings, the Indian Premier League team captained by Dhoni

The locals got to know about the high-profile wedding on Saturday morning itself when innumerable cars kept passing the area and the frequency increased on Sunday morning till the marriage actually began. Also, a lot of the local people took their cars and two-wheelers to get a view of their favourite captain’s wedding. But they faced the same fate as the media — no entry. Still, it was an exciting day for them in the woods.

The 29-year-old cricketer from Ranchi has been one of the hottest bachelor boys of India. His clean and straightforward image has fetched him dozens of endorsements making him among the highest-earning cricketers in the world.

Incidentally, while Dhoni now lives in Jharkand, his family hails from a village near Binsar in Uttarakhand.

Both the skipper and his bride are pahadis. Like the rest of his brethren, Dhoni is a deeply religious and spiritual person. The locals say that his long hair, and the subsequent cut, was on account of a mannat he made to a local deity for a place in the Indian team first, and gesture of gratitude later.

Sakshi’s father and Dhoni’s father reportedly worked together in Ranchi. Her grandfather, a retired divisional forest officer, lives in Dehradun. The couple know each other from their days in DAV School, Ranchi

Sakshi graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management in Aurangabad two months ago. She is currently working with Taj Bengal, Kolkata. Both Dhoni and Rawat are originally from Uttarakhand.

Dhoni has been linked with a string of actresses in the past. But tongues started wagging about his involvement with the low-profile Sakshi, now 21, when they were first seen together in Aurangabad. Sakshi was also seen with Dhoni on November 19 when they went for a rickshaw ride on her 21st birthday. Such privacy is a luxury that she’s unlikely to get, now that she’s married to ‘Captain Cool’.

dhoni & sakshi

dhoni & sakshi

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Poor start did us in: Dhoni

News4u  – News Desk : Chennai Super Kings skipper M S Dhoni attributed tonight’s defeat against Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League match to the jolts they suffered in the start of the innings.

Sri Lankan paceman Chaminda Vaas unsettled Chennai innings by taking three quick wickets. Chennai were chasing a total of 191 but all they could manage was 159 for nine.

“When you chase 190, you want a good start but we lost early wickets. And if you lose early wickets, it becomes difficult for other batsmen to chase.

“It all depended on the start, that we are capable of getting. Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina being the big hitters in top of order followed by Justin Kemp and Albie Morkel. We could have got those runs,” Dhoni said after the match.

Dhoni was not happy with fast bowlers, who were hit round the park in the clash.

Chennai Super Kings skipper M S Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings skipper M S Dhoni

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Dhoni apologises for final match flop show

News4u-Sports Desk-Auckland, (PTI) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni apologised to the fans for the disappointing end to an otherwise successful one-day series against New Zealand, saying the team failed to maintain its high standard today.
The eight-wicket defeat in the fifth and final ODI could not prevent India from registering their first ever one-day series win in New Zealand but Dhoni had no qualms admitting that the team dished out a poor performance today.

“I would like to thank my team for playing good cricket through the series over the period of time but at the same time sorry to disappoint you guys in the last match. We could have done better,” Dhoni said.

He also took the occasion to remind that the team played quality cricket in most of the matches and seemed optimistic that it can maintain the same standard in the three-match Test series starting March 18.

“We played good cricket and if we can do that in the Test series it will be great,” Dhoni said.

His opposite number Daniel Vettori was relieved to have escaped a rout in the series and the Kiwi captain said he was now looking forward to the Test matches.

“We are looking forward to the Test series. Three-match series should be competitive and the guys are fired up,” Vettori said. Thanking the spectators for turning up in big numbers, Vettori said, “Thanks to the crowd for coming in, some of you still support us.” Man of the Match Jesse Ryder, who slammed a belligerent 63 and took three wickets as well, echoed his captain’s view and said he was looking forward to extend his purple patch to the Test series against Dhoni’s men.

“Things are going all right at the moment. The confidence is high. I am looking forward to play in the Test series and continue the same form,” he said.

Ryder was involved in a spat with Indian pacer Ishant Sharma but the bulky left-hander played down the event.

“It didn’t affect me in any way, was just part of the game,” he said.

Dhoni appologises

Dhoni appologises

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Sea-fishing, whale safari, sky walk for Dhoni and Co

News4u-Sports Desk-Auckland, Mar 13 (PTI) Series in pocket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his teammates today let their hair down and went for sea-fishing, whale safari and sky walk on the eve of their inconsequential fifth and final ODI against New Zealand here tomorrow.

Friday the 13th bore no significance to the Indians, who went out in small groups to explore the adventure spots in and around the city while some others went on cruise.

Dhoni set out with physical and mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton to try his hand and patience at deep-sea fishing. Rahul Dravid, who has a penchant for the call of the wild, joined them in their mission to catch a 40-pound fish.

Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, VVS Laxman, Dinesh Karthik, Laxmipathi Balaji and Praveen Kumar tried their skill at a 90-minute sky walk at the City Sky tower while Zaheer Khan chose to climb the Harbour Bridge.

Coach Gary Kirsten, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Gautam Gambhir and Munaf Patel preferred to play it safe and set out on a dolphin and whale safari. Asked if it was it safe to indulge in such extremities on the eve of an international match, Kirsten said, “We got a 48-day tour. It is pretty much cricket all-in and all-out. You have one or two days between the games. We certainly encourage less practice time when you are on the road because you are in game time already.

“Mental freshness is more important. We create a lot of optional sessions so those who feel like coming down are available to do some work. At least when it comes to match time, we know the guys are in a happy space and they are comfortable with how they have gone about their business in the two days before. And they are ready to go and play another game of cricket for their country.”

Dhoni welcoming New Zealand

Dhoni welcoming New Zealand

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Chasing frequently revised target was not easy: Dhoni

News4u-Sports Desk-Hamilton, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir made it look like a stroll in the park but with the victory target being revised after every rain interruption India’s chase in the fourth ODI against New Zealand was far from easy, said victorious captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Sehwag (125) and Gambhir (63) starred in an unbeaten 201-run stand in the tie which witnessed five rain interruptions, three during Indian innings alone.

“It was a difficult chase with the rain interruptions. The way Viru and Gautam batted, it looked easy but it was never easy,” Dhoni said after India’s series-clinching win here.

The India captain said conditions were not easy to bat on but the spectacular start by Sehwag and Gambhir tilted the match in India’s favour.

“The wind was very strong all through. Overall, we got a good start and capitalised on it later on,” Dhoni said.

DHONI

DHONI

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Cricketers’ night out as PM hosts India, NZ cricket teams

News Desk – News4u : Wellington:  New Zealand Prime Minister John Key today hosted an official dinner for the visiting Indian cricket team which was also attended by Daniel Vettori-led national side at the parliament here.

Welcoming Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men and the Kiwis, John Key quipped that the tight finishes in the matches between the two teams had made for some sleepless nights in his household.

“I have a 13-year-old son (Max), who is the cricket follower in our household. These tight late games are playing havoc with the schedule in our house because every time I return from a function late in the night, my son is watching cricket. So these tight finishes have made for some sleepless nights in our household,” said Key.

“I told him that I was going to meet the cricketers from the Indian and New Zealand teams and he gave me a list of names from both sides whose autographs he wanted. So Dhoni and Daniel, if I come up and ask for some autographs, it is not for me, it is for my son Max,” he added.

Talking about the attacks on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore yesterday, Key said, “I would like to say quite simply it was a despicable act and the government, like everyone, was shocked and condemns what took place.” PTI
Dhoni with Newzealand Prime Minister John Key

Dhoni with Newzealand Prime Minister John Key

Dhoni & Vettori at a function by New Zealand PM John Key

Dhoni & Vettori at a function by New Zealand PM John Key

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Good start laid the foundation for win: Dhoni

News4u-Sports Desk-Napier, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today lauded the opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar for laying the foundation of the 53-run victory over New Zealand in the first cricket one-dayer here.
Dhoni, who himself played a crucial unbeaten knock of 84 runs at the number three position, said the difference between victory and defeat today was the 69-run opening stand between Sehwag and Tendulkar which allowed the middle-order batsmen to free their arms in the later stages of the innings.

“I think the start is important for us. Over the years we have seen if we get a decent start, we have got the firepower to capitalise on that and specially with the 20 overs of power-play it gets really very difficult for the bowlers to contain us.

“If we get a good start more often then not we will get a good score which our bowlers can defend,” he said after the match.

“The openers role is very important, but I think Raina’s knock was fabulous. He came in at a time when he had to decide whether to go after the bowling or not. He went by his instinct, whatever he saw, he played according to the merit of the ball. I think it was a brilliant innings,” he added.

Asked whether the Indians came out with a different gameplan today after the two consecutive Twenty20 defeats at the hands of the hosts, he said, “During the toss I have said it has happened to us in the past that in the Twenty20 games we tend to go out all guns blazing and at times we fall short of the target, but our 50 overs approach has been good. “We also committed mistakes but overall our approach has been good till now. We made a few errors in the middle but overall I am quite happy with the performance.” Dhoni, who was adjudged man-of-the-match for his tactical innings, also lauded pacer Praveen Kumar (2/28) for his exploits with the ball in his first outing on Kiwi pitches.

“He (Praveen) is one bowler who does very well in conditions where there is something for him. He can swing the ball both ways and is a street smart cricketer. He knows his limitations and that’s the best part,” he said.

Meanwhile, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori blamed his bowlers for the defeat and said his side was a far better bowling unit then what they have displayed today.

“Right from the start India outplayed us. We just couldn’t get right with the ball. I was pretty disappointed with the way we bowled, we are a lot better bowling unit than what we have displayed today. We were also a bit sloppy on the field and lacked execution,” Vettori said. He praised for Raina and said the left-hander’s blazing 66 off 49 deliveries took the game away from them.

“Raina’s innings probably brought little bit of momentum back in the middle stages. He played exceptionally well and took the game away from us.

“Dhoni, Sehwag are quality players, if you give them a chance, they will grab it,” Vettori said.

Asked if the Duckworth-Lewis method made the run chase difficult for his side, Vettori said, “No, we got our figures wrong. We were not looking forward to chasing 105 off 7. We put ourselves in the situation with the way we bowled.” “I suppose losing a couple of wickets in the beginning also didn’t help us, because when you are chasing a big target, you need to get a good start,” he added.

DHONI

DHONI

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Tendulkar changes dressing room atmosphere completely: Dhoni

Sports Desk- News4u : Napier, Mar 2 :  On the back foot after twin Twenty20 losses to New Zealand, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said Sachin Tendulkar’s return to the side has boosted the team’s morale ahead of the one-day series.

“He is a great player. Not only from a batting or bowling point of view, if you see the amount of contribution he can make to the side from his experience is amazing. He changes the dressing room atmosphere completely,” said Dhoni ahead of the day-night ODI series opener.

Dhoni said he cannot quantify Tendulkar’s influence on the team and the opponents.

“That is very difficult for me to answer. But when he was playing against us (Chennai Super Kings) for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, it played on your mind. The amount of ideas he has got apart from being a very talented and aggressive cricketer is phenomenal.

“And there are lots of things you have to be careful about him. You have to be careful about each and everything you do out on the field,” said Dhoni.

India, the pre-series favourites, have been pulled back by defeats in the Twenty20 matches, which were given a miss by Tendulkar. PTI
Dhoni-Sachin

Dhoni-Sachin

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Dhoni says irresponsible batting did India in

News4u-Sports Desk-Smarting from the seven-wicket defeat in the tour opener against New Zealand, India captain MS Dhoni attributed the loss to the irresponsible batting by his teammates.
The Indian captain, suffering his third defeat in 12 T20 matches, felt that his batsmen needlessly went after the Kiwi attack without proper planning, which led to his side losing too many wickets at the beginning of the innings.

“I think most of the batsmen batted brilliantly but the mistake we committed was that we went with the momentum. Maybe one of the batsmen could have realised that we had got off to a flier and stayed put at the crease,” said Dhoni.

“Throughout the IPL and Twenty20 games we have seen that even if you bat out 20 overs, you don’t score more than 200 runs.

“So you have to realise whether you are happy with a score of 180 or 190. Or whether you look for those extra 25 runs which we don’t actually need and end up getting 160-odd, a total which is difficult for the bowlers to defend in conditions like these and on wickets that are placid,” Dhoni said.

DHONI

DHONI

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IPL, not NZ series, ideal preparation for T20 World Cup: Dhoni

News4u-Sports Desk-Christchurch, Feb 24 (PTI) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes the second edition of the Indian Premier League will be the perfect build-up before the side travels to England to defend their Twenty20 World Cup title in June.
Incidentally, the two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand here are India’s last opportunity to play as a team before the World Cup but Dhoni believes IPL would be the right platform to prepare for the mega event.

“Every game is important. These are two Twenty20 international games. But I think it will be important to focus on the IPL more,” said Dhoni, who led India to triumph in the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

“It (IPL) would not help us only. It will help other players also who are part of IPL, which is a big tournament. Right now these two matches against New Zealand are too far away to contribute to the Twenty20 World Cup scenario,” said Dhoni.

Dhoni

Dhoni

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