This requires a proactive publicity drive – on social media, on hoardings and so on. Unlike cricket in which selection decisions are made by a board, Modi government is formed out of the legislature which, in turn, requires the voters of the country to select it. Indeed, a nuance must be pointed out here. Modi may not have used the same advancing truck analogy, but he, too, prefers a team that displays no fear of failure nor abuses its position for personal glory. By personally exhibiting these two aspects – by facing victory and defeat equally – he led Team India to become a world-beating team. What he was perhaps getting at is needing a team that did not obsess over their own individual records and who held no fear of failure. Since the early stages of the unprecedentedly daunting COVID-19 pandemic, he backed India’s indigenous vaccine production, giving all support that could be given.ĭhoni once said he wanted a team that can stand before an advancing truck. Since his days as Gujarat Chief Minister, Modi repeatedly said that, with the same laws, same rules, same officers, same people, same files, he has shown things can happen. With the same players – some of them were wanted by no other franchise for they were too old, some of them didn’t perform as well when playing for other franchises – Dhoni has time and again scripted remarkable performances. He was indicating to them that he believes in their potential and their capabilities and that belief, in turn, inspired them to give their all – as countless players of Dhoni’s teams have testified. By picking them, Dhoni wasn’t doing them a personal favour.
Yet, in both instances, what cynics don’t see is the assiduous ‘boring’ work done prior thereto.ĭhoni, with inputs from the franchise coach and others, selected these players. And, since both are captains of their respective teams, both get photographed holding the laurels.
In both instances, what cynics see is the tangible moment of glory – the final presentation of an award or a rewarding pictorial. This pretty much sums up the reactions of Modi’s rivals. Vaccines were created by scientists, manufacturing companies risked their capital to produce it, healthcare staff across the country braved troubling conditions to administer it yet, Modi takes the credit for India’s impressive vaccination drive. This is roughly what a post on social media looked like. Du Plessis scored 86, Uthappa and Moeen scored quick 30+ cameos, Shardul Thakur took three wickets, Jadeja and Hazlewood took two yet, credit for the IPL 2021 win goes to Dhoni.