M.S. Dhoni: Leadership Masterclass from the Master of the Craft - Pearls of Wisdom

The Indian team will be playing its first T20I against the Kiwis in Dhoni's backyard, Ranchi, today and the legend was very much there at the stadium to meet and catch up with his old comrades, especially, Hardik Pandya, the stand-in skipper for the T20Is. MSD spent some time with the team while they were training and shared some of his tricks and distilled wisdom especially with the young lot as he always does given that he is a natural mentor...That's MSD as we all know him. Check out the link below which has a video of the same on twitter uploaded by the BCCI. https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1618580080351129600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1618580080351129600%7Ctwgr%5Ebe3bbd808eadba69fbb749184f7c003b6784ad78%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-27358946311190864145.ampproject.net%2F2301112346000%2Fframe.html Also, check out the episode image wherein MSD & HP pose as the cricketing world's Jai & Viru...

The old adage is very much relevant even today with MSD very much believing in it. Mahi was seen in action yesterday preparing in advance for the upcoming IPL 2023 season at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association's stadium in Ranchi. He looked in awesome touch even without having played international or domestic cricket since the culmination of IPL 2022. He will be seen again in action in CSK's training camp to be held in Feb or March 2023 in Chennai. Here's wishing Mahi and CSK a great 2023 season...

England's win  in the just concluded WC was duly well deserved for the following reasons: 1. England played and defeated all the 3 teams that made it to the final Top 4 of the tournament to win the cup England defeated New Zealand in a must win group game comprehensively before routing India in the Semi-Final. They then outclassed Pakistan bowlers in the final with their grit & determination led by Ben Stokes. England also took on and managed to defeat quality Sri Lankan wrist spinners on their favorite hunting ground at Sydney with the victory again scripted by Stokes. None of the other 3 teams had to face these many quality oppositions throughout their journey.  2. Unmatched Team Composition and Balance England have a fantastic team composition and balance full of specialist all-rounders who can bat & bowl really well with a strong batting line-up going almost till number 10 enabling the team to play real attacking cricket. In bowling, they have 2 swing bowlers in form of Woakes & Stokes along with Sam Curran, bowlers who can hit the deck hard like Mark Wood & Chris Jordan and 3 spinners, including, Adil Rashid, Moeen Ali and Livingstone who is more of a mystery spinner. No other team had such diversity, quality and variety in the bowling department to match all kind of conditions.  3. Superior Tactical Play Throughout English pace bowlers were consistently bowling hard lengths and just short of good length which was troubling the batsmen as the ball ws bouncing off the pitch and coming high. Also, with consistently good line there was no room for batsmen to play cuts or pulls. Spinners, both Rashid & Livingstone, were getting turn while consistently bowling in the right areas which created impact. Against India, English spinners gave just 41 runs in 7 overs while getting the prized wicket of SKY. Against Pakistan, Rashid got 21/2 in his 4 overs. English bowlers also bowled in very short spells of 1-2 overs each with very frequent & planned bowling changes while fully controlling the game which did not let any of the batsmen settle down and become comfortable throughout the game. Also, their batsmen were really attacking & aggressive from the outset especially in the powerplay which gave them a headstart in each match. Also, they were batting forward trying to play drives while the bowlers were trying to pitch the ball up in their efforts to get swing. They were consistently attacking in their approach fearlessly despite the total being chased. 4. India are batting heavy with weaker bowling while Pakistan are clearly bowling led with batting being their weakness while the balanced kiwis were outclassed in the semi-final by the slowness of the Sydney wicket against Pakistan bowlers on a day which was just not theirs, just like India were at Adelaide.   5. England have clearly segregated teams for every format with clearly defined roles and requirements with the bench strength to match them with attacking cricket being the buzzword of their game irrespective of the format being played.

Team India was bound to lose the Semi-Final of the just concluded ICC T20 World Cup right from the outset. And the reason for that - team selection. Every team knew months before the tournament even started that both the semi-finals for scheduled to be held in Sydney & Adelaide respectively. Both the locations favor spin bowlers but wrist spinners. These were the grounds which made Shane Warne, Stuart MacGill and Nathan Lyon into legendary spin bowlers of their respective eras for Australian cricket. Keeping that in mind, Team India's decision to not include India's best wrist spinning duo of Kulcha, which has witnessed considerable success over the years, was baffling and the decision to not play Chahal, its only wrist spinner, in the playing XI for any of the matches was even more so. Playing with finger spinners at Adelaide was like fighting with swords against an enemy wielding guns and perched on an elevated position! Secondly, Team India chose Bhuvi and Arshdeep to spearhead its pace attack which was also surprising given that they both are kings of swing which works fantastically in English conditions. However,  in Australia, seam bowlers who hit the deck hard truly thrive by harnessing the pace and bounce offered by the pitches, especially, at Perth and MCG which Shami and Siraj were bound to do but Shami could not do at Adelaide. India's swing bowlers bowled well throughout the group stage matches especially at the above mentioned locations while clearly struggling at Adelaide against Bangladesh on a flattop. In the Semi-Final against England at Adelaide, there was no swing on offer on a flat wicket, Indian pacers, thus, seemed merely a shadow of themselves with England dominating the powerplay. Indian finger spinners too were listless as they couldn't get anything from the surface as expected while Adil Rashid weaved his magic and Chahal becoming a mere, helpless spectator sitting in the dugout.  Thus, the outcome of the Semi-Final was more or less along the expected lines because if you pick pacers for English conditions & spinners for the sub-continent conditions while going out to play the world cup in Australia  what you will get is a knockout in the ring rather than losing on points to the opponent let alone the thought of winning the bout! Serious questions to be answered by team management over team selection...

1. Today: England win by 10 wickets against India while chasing 168 in 2022's T20 World Cup Semi-Final 2. T20 World Cup 2021: Pakistan won by 10 wickets against India while chasing 151 in a group match 3. ICC Test Championship Final in June 2021 with Indian bowling capitulating against the Kiwis on the last day  4. Even in the final of the Champions Trophy 2017, Indian bowlers conceded 338 runs while taking only 4 wickets while bowling first against arch-rivals Pakistan with Indian batters managing to score only 158 runs while chasing. Compare that with below: 1. India won the final of T20 World Cup 2007 under MS Dhoni while successfully defending only 157 runs 2. India won the 2013's Champions Trophy under MSD while defending only 129 runs against England while playing in England in a rain curtailed match reduced to just 20 overs for each side Clearly, it is not about the runs on the board being defended but about the self-belief in the bowlers & the team that the total can be defended. Indian bowlers have capitulated and buckled under pressure in knock-out and big matches on multiple occasions over the recent years. The bowlers clearly have looked to be on the defensive and clueless which has been a recurrent theme for Indian cricket while attacking bowlers ( esp. wrist spinners like Chahal & Kuldeep which India desperately needed in Australia) left on the tarmac. Seemingly, our bowling legends are interested in not risking their reputation (as it could impact their auction price tag for the next IPL) rather than going all guns blazing at the opposition. Also, Indian batting line-up had revised their approach to batting over the past year and a half but nothing was done in the bowling department which visibly has stuck to old defensive patterns. Seemingly, its time for Indian cricket to grow and harvest its next crop of bowlers (starting with the T20 format) developed from scratch with a fearless, winning and go-getter attitude along with strong self belief & attacking instincts who could give their all and prove themselves without bothering about the outcomes (The Dhoni Way). It's time to draft Umran Malik, Prasidh Krishna, Shabaz and others into the regular T20 side to play bilateral series' and learn & grow their stature with performances while the seniors can start focusing on the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 in India for redemption.  That's the key to changing the outcomes or else we will keep getting the same results...

Following the comprehensive victory against Zimbabwe at the MCG team India is all set for the English challenge at the Adelaide oval in the 2nd semi-final. Key elements that will decide the outcome of the battle will include: The Terrain:  With a flat pitch and shorter square boundaries, Adelaide has been a batters' paradise and a nightmare for fast bowlers with sixes frequently landing into the stands across the shorter square boundaries. Margin for errors, in terms of line & length, for pacers will be minimal and change of pace and cutters will definitely be critical. Middle Overs & Spin will hold the Key to Win: Chahal for Tactical Surprise? In the last few matches played at the Adelaide, it was spin which decided the outcome of the games on a slow pitch during overs 7-15. In the Aus vs Afghanistan match, Afghan spinners were effective and curtailed Aussies at 169 and almost chased it. In India's game against Bangladesh, the latter were cruising at 70/0 after 7 overs with Indian pacers looking flat & toothless with the ball coming nicely onto the bat without any trace of swing. Ultimately, it was rain interruption, pressure after target revision and poor batting by chasers & precise bowling n fielding which enabled India to reclaw the game. Indian spin bowling clearly lacks a wrist spinner, especially for games at Sydney & Adelaide, and given huge Aussie outfields with Axar Patel clearly visible as the weak link given his lack of turn & variations and change of pace. On the Adelaide pitch, Axar will almost be a sitting duck for the English batting artillery and will surely be on their radar as the bowler to be attacked over square boundaries. So far, the longest he has bowled is 3.2 overs against Zimbabwe at the MCG in which, too, he was targeted and conceded 40 runs while getting a single wicket. An attacking wrist spinner like Chahal would definitely be a much better option against the English as shown by the Sri Lankan wrist spinners who had almost trapped them in their spin web at Sydney the other day. Also, unleashing Chahal straightaway in the high pressure semi-final could be a key tactical surprise for the opponents given spin as their traditional & well-known weakness. The need for a leftie batter could be filled by Pant. Also, Chahal's inclusion truly completes Indian bowling line-up in terms of capabilities & varieties.  Attacking Southpaw Pant vs. England Bowlers and Two Gamechanger Unicorns: Pant's attacking cricket at number 5 would enable team India to effectively counter English bowlers, most importantly, Wood's pace at death, lower down the order especially  while spearheading the chase, unlike DK, who has been passive so far, so he must be there in the playing XI. Pant's inclusion also brings two gamechanger Unicorns to team India's line-up with SKY being the first one.  India's Traditional Affinity for Adelaide Powered by Kohli's Oval Love: This factor will again be favorable for team India given Kohli proving himself to be the core pivot of India's batting line-up in this world cup. Bottomline - Advantage India! The English looked very vulnerable against Sri Lankan spinners at Sydney in their last game and somehow managed to survive the scare almost by a whisker thanks to a small target while chasing. So, it will make for an interesting contest as both teams are batting dominated as well as equally matched in batting firepower so the outcome ultimately will be decided by bowling. Whichever team bowls & fields better, executes well and holds their nerves better than the other in the to be bitterly fought battle on the D-Day will turn out triumphant.  Still, given its Adelaide, the so far unstoppable Team India will definitely be the favourites!

On King Kohli's 34th birthday best wishes to him for a fantastic resurgence as we  decrypt the secret ingredient to his phenomenal rise since the ODI World Cup 2011. And that has been his extreme discipline, commitment and focus on continued, incremental progress and evolution as a gifted batsman as well as a wonderful human being. In terms of star signs, most of this emanates from Saturn, the disciplinarian task master, which is present in the 1st house of his birth chart making him extremely disciplined and committed with extreme fitness and almost a superman in this regard who is even able to resist the temptation of having Chhole Bhature even once in a bluemoon. Also, being born under a sun-ruled nakshatra with sun prominently present in his house of work gives him that fire to decimate the opposition with the bat on the cricket field on any given day.  Also, the king was born on a Saturday and its again Saturday today.  Happy Birthday to Super V. May it be a wonderful day for him and a memorable year for the entire country with the World Cup Trophy coming home from Australia as the return gift!  Amen...

Indian team so far had a roller coaster ride in the ongoing T20 world cup in Australia which got off to a rocking start with a victory over arch-rivals Pakistan powered by Virat Kohli's brilliance. However, India were also handed their first defeat of the tournament against South Africa at the Perth expressway which clearly favored SA's pace battery. At this juncture in the tournament an analysis of India's tactical play becomes imperative.  Inflexibility in Team Composition:  Across the all 3 games India have made just one change in Playing XI despite playing in starkly different conditions. The pitches at Melbourne and Perth favor pace & bounce while the game against Netherlands supported spin. Indian team, however, went into all 3 matches with 2 spinners and 3 pacers with Hardik being the 4th pacer cum allrounder. In games against Pakistan and South Africa, the second spinner proved to be floatsam on pace-friendly tracks with Axar bowling only one over against Pakistan and Hooda not being made to bowl at all against South Africa. India could have instead be flexible & played an additional seamer on pace friendly tracks instead of a second spinner which would have further beefed up India's pace attack and could play 2 spinners at Sydney & Adelaide. India could have utilized Siraj's decent pace & bounce which really helps him in Australia or Harshal if they wanted a bowling allrounder who can bat a bit. It would have really helped India while defending a meagre total against South Africa which went down to the wire with Ashwin finding it difficult to bowl at death giving away two sixes in the 18th over. The All-Rounder Fallacy:  The selection of all-rounders vs specialists has triggered another debate. The selection of Deepak Hooda in place of Axar is surely up for debate. Hooda does not have real batting experience in Australian conditions & second spinner was just not required at Perth even against SA's lefties. Instead, India could strengthened pace attack with Siraj whose pace & bounce could have helped them by covering Ashwin's overs at death. India could instead also have beefed up batting by including Pant who is  way better in technique & batting experience in Australia while also adding a left-hander who could have resiliently battled SA pacers & added some additional runs to the total. The inclusion of Hooda was completely pointless as he was out for a duck & did not bowl. If India wanted an all-rounder only then they should have picked Harshal. Experience matters in Aus! Left Handers in Line-Up: India's batting line-up has all right handers with only Axar playing at No. 7. This one dimensional line-up makes it very easy for bowlers to consistently manage line & length unlike left-right combinations. Thus, including Pant makes a lot of sense. DK vs. Pant Debate:  Pant has spearheaded & orchestrated multiple wins for India single-handedly in overseas conditions over the past half a decade while playing match winning knocks against Australia, South Africa & England. His experience of batting in overseas conditions & being a leftie become crucial for India. DK has great performances & experience in the sub-continent conditions but not in Australia. Also, DK is 1dimensional & can play last 2-3 overs and slog while batting first but while batting under pressure overseas when India has lost quick wickets it has so far seemed tough on him. Finger Spinners vs Wrist Spinners: The Australian conditions clearly favor wrist spinners and past has shown it with Kulcha having performed very well there. Chahal should be included & given the ball atleast as 2nd spinner while trusting India's strong batting line-up. Verdict & the Road Ahead: Great teams play the situation & the key is flexibility. All the best to Team India!

Everyone who witnessed King Kohli's innings yesterday against Pakistan at the MCG was simply blown away by the Category 5 'Melbourne Storm' named Virat Kohli given the way he dominated the show and snatched an almost impossible victory for India ultimately from the jaws of defeat given that Team India were tottering at 45/4 after 10 overs. Kohli proved that he's got nerves of titanium while giving an invaluable demonstration to the cricketing world as to how to chase down the impossible in the direst of circumstances against a formidale pace attack while leading truly by example being the core pivot of the Indian line-up. He showed as to how to fight enemy fire with firepower while taking the attack to the opposition by unleashing a precise & no-holds barred counterattack to shake them to their very core. Rohit and KL's palpable jitteriness at the outset was no match for the enemy fire and only Super V had the intensity, tenacity & firepower to launch the artillery barrage which ultimately made the enemy troops scrambling towarda their foxholes. Kohli's incredible 100% success record of 18/18 unbeaten chases for India over the years has deservingly earned him the sobriquet of 'Chasemaster' and the King is officially back on the hunting trail with a roar.  Hats off!  When a player of Kohli's class plays an innings like that and leads the team across the victory line almost single-handedly it inspires every player to give their absolute 200% while going way above and beyond the call of duty. That's inspirational leadership! Take a bow! The inclusion of this special feature on Super V in this podcast themed on MSD just goes to show the amount of huge respect he earns everytime he goes out in the middle to chase another impossible... Enjoy listening to Virat Kohli's incredible run of emotions in the post match presentation interview in the audio. This one is simply to be treasured...

The question with which the leadership theorists and experts have grappled forever is "Are leaders born or made?" Today we try and delve deeper into the perplexing quandry with MSD as the subject. Well, we all have seen as to what MSD has done on the field with his skills, capabilities and cool temperament over the past 2 decades with the three ICC trophies won by Team India under his leadership being the crowning achievement of his long & glorious career. However, let's take a look at what the stars had in store for the legend. For this, we use astrology purely as an explanatory and analytical technique (rather than a predictive technique) to decrypt what destiny had in store for MSD. First the disclaimer, we do not recommend banking on astrology for predictions or professional decisions or pursuits by anyone. Also, we are not professional astrologers nor do we have any association with anyone having anything to do with astrology professionally.  Coming to MSD, a cursory look at his birth chart indicates presence of Sun and Mercury in his workplace house with mercury exalted in an air sign along with Mars in the house of fortune. The combination itself along with his ascendant indicates a career in defense services as a senior military officer or prospects of a government job or an illustrious sports career. In hindsight and taking advantage of his public life with plethora of information in public domain, it can be easily seen that MSD started his career with a government job in railways followed by an illustrious sports career as the most successful cricket captain of Team India which deservingly got him the honorary position of Lt. Col. in the Indian Army eventually!  Thus, he was born to be a natural leader with great leadership qualities and he has effectively executed as to what he was meant to do in this lifetime.  Finally, it could also be safely concluded that, "Leaders can be born or made but great leaders are mostly born..."  In the audio, a clip from the ICC on M.S. Dhoni - The Leader.

On the 15th Anniversary of India's unforgettable win in the T20 World Cup 2007, Sreesanth, the man with golden hands which took India across the line with the winning catch had the following to say about MSD in an interview given to NDTV earlier today. He said while praising Dhoni's captaincy: "Best captains work with individuals and believe in the players. And even when the players don't believe in themselves, the great captains will come up to you and make you believe in your belief system". Decrypting Dhoni's decision to give the ball to Joginder Sharma for the last over, he revealed, "We all have played together for Indan Airlines in the forming years. So Dhoni bhai knows Jogi bhai's winning attitude. And he knows Jogi bhai has done it not just once and twice, he has done it many times. He had a lot of faith in him".  In the audio, MSD recollects the nervous final moments of the high tension Ind-Pak grand finale clash of T20WC.

The most important, simple and critical piece of advise that has come from the legend over the years has been to just focus on the process rather than results as when we start focusing on the outcomes the process goes haywire as we tend to play under the pressure of outcomes and when we play fearlessly, giving our best and without bothering about the outcome the results take care of themselves. MSD has done it over and over again and the triple crown of cricket won by Team India under him bears testimony to that!

After the round 2 of the series of India-Pakistan nailbiters in the Asia Cup yesterday, Virat Kohli elaborated in the post match presentation as to how MSD was the only one who messaged him to buck him up when King Kohli left test captaincy earlier in Jan 2022 at the peak of his game and nobody else bothered. Dhoni-Kohli chemistry is almost fabled and their on-field partnerships with the bat scripted multiple wins for Team India over the years gone by with the duo sharing great camaraderie and a very special bond of mutual respect and appreciation going way above and beyond the formal captain-vice captain hierarchical roles with MSD having effectively groomed and shaped Kohli's growth and rise as the leader. Thus, when Kohli called it quits as the leader and hung up his captain's arm band, MSD was the one to connect despite of it not being required formally. That's an extraordinary and special leader who stays connected to his select comrades & troops at the human level during their life's personal ups and downs even after having left command and the uniform... That's the human connect & touch and that's what seperates great leaders from just leaders!

Hardik Pandya, the self-confessed MSD acolyte and disciple, once again proved to be critical in the unmatched clash of the Asian giants with India getting the better of arch-rival Pakistan in Dubai in their opening encounter of the Asia Cup 2022. Hardik bowled superbly getting 3 wickets and batted in characteristic MSD style while chasing under pressure to take India across the finish line in the last over. His non-chalant demeanour and absolute calmness in holding the nerve amid the high voltage India-Pak rivalry had clear shades and streaks of the original master & legend of the finishing game, MSD, and hardik's inning simply brought the memories of MSD's on-field heroics alive! He himself said in the post match presentation that staying calm under pressure is something he learnt from Dhoni as an invaluable trait and it makes him assess and respond to situations better while navigating his course to the finish line. Here's Hardik in a conversation with ESPN CricInfo as to how MSD influenced and shaped his thinking, temperament witn the infusion of calmness and approach to the game as a mentor, guru and elder bro. To our legendary Maverick+Ice Man and the original master of finishing... Heil MSD!

Two words which can quintessentially capture the essence of MSD's persona and his leadership are 'honesty' and 'humility' which have shaped, led and guided his personal as well as professional life forever and have enabled him to achieve what he has truly deserved - honour, respect & unflinching loyalty of his teammates as the extraordinary leader and, of course, the triple crown of cricket. How honesty helps someone is that it enables one to face and accept the harsh reality, including, setbacks, skill limitations, shortcomings etc. the way it is. And when one accepts the reality it starts the chain reaction of change, improvement and betterment.  As per the venerable Kübler-Ross model of change, a person goes through the following five stages when faced with an emotional setback or undesired change:- Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. If, being honest to ourselves, we straightway 'accept' the reality the way it is by somehow managing to bypass the emotional clouds and start from there, it really shortens the curve. That's what Dhoni, being his stoic self, does very effectively always which takes him really ahead of his current reality really quickly in the future-focused mode. Also, a person can really be honest and fair with others only if he is honest with himself with a strong moral compass and that's why it becomes indispensable to success in the leadership role... So, the proverbial wisdom, 'honesty is the best policy' indeed still holds...Q.E.D. by MSD!

MS Dhoni is well known for fully backing his players and believing in them which, in turn, makes them believe in themselves and their capabilities even more and brings out the best in them on the field. That's not just limited to Indian players but even international players have lauded this ability of MSD as the leader of the pack. When Ngidi came to India to play his first IPL season for CSK in 2018, he has mentioned as to how he felt reassured and confident when a cricketer of 'MSD's class and calibre' showed his faith in him and how it inspired him and made him do well in front of thousands of spectators in fully packed Indian stadiums which was completely unusual for him. Deepak Chahar, the spearhead of CSK's pace bowling battery, also has elaborated as to how playing for CSK and MSD's faith drove his personal transformation from being a fringe bowler at the outset to being the 'king of swing' and a top of the line powerplay specialist bowler which effectively turned his career around.  That's the power of faith and belief which turns even an ordinary man into a virtual Superman! When the leader believes in and backs his team to the hilt and inspires them to give all that they have got, the results are simply extraordinary... In the short audio clip, MSD talks about Chahar.

MSD has this special quality of believing in and fully backing the players he chooses for his playing XI and thereafter he sticks to them giving each individual ample opportunities to express themselves on the field freely without the pressure of expectations or fear of getting benched. The same has been corroborated by many players over the years especially Shane Watson who did not do well with the bat throughout IPL 2018 but Dhoni kept backing him unflinchingly and Watson ultimately played a magnificent  century, a match winning knock against SRH in the final to let CSK lay their hands on the coveted trophy for the third time after a long hiatus. Ngidi, too, recently mentioned as to how being backed by a player of Dhoni's caliber and class helped him do well in his first IPL season in 2018. In the audio, Dwayne Bravo talks to Cricbuzz about how when everyone was critical of him and his bowling in IPL 2018, Dhoni kept backing him fully and that made him really do well.  When the leader keeps believing in his team and backs them fully despite the performances and outcomes, it reassures and instills the self-belief back in them, especially, the players going through a rough patch and it really works like magic...Ask MSD disciples and acolytes who have witnessesd it firsthand!

MSD played as a player rather than as the captain of CSK during the first half of IPL 2022 with Jaddu being the skipper. Prior to this, MSD also played in the blue jersey under Virat Kohli's captaincy from early 2017 till the ICC's ODI World Cup in 2019. However, both the times it was actually about MSD and how he led the team from behind as the 'Chacha Chaudhary' with his extraordinary domain competence and brilliant situational leadership. But how does MSD manage to be the undisputed leader of the outfit even when he is not the designated captain. Simply, with the honor and respect he deservingly gets from his troops as the natural leader and an absolute authority on the game with his uncannily accurate Fingerspitzengefühl, brilliant reading of the game and natural talent for conducting real time, on-field mentorship of players and viewers (via stump mic) from behind the stumps... Harsha Bhogle analysed as to how MSD remained the leader despite of not being the captain while playing for Team India prior to his retirement in a conversation with CricBuzz. Also, here's wishing a grand and fantabulous 41st birthday to the legend and our beloved No. 7 today on the 7th of July... Happy Birthday Mahi! You Simply Rock! Also, check out our latest handbook on MSD's leadership releasing today on Amazon at the link below https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ZDZ16RD

MSD's stoicism and remarkable ability to manage and control his emotions even at the fag end of virtual cliffhangers is ubiquitous and always gives him that extra edge over opponents in any given playing conditions as well as situations. However, suppressing emotions always is also not alright as they are a form of communication from our system. Listen directly from the horse's mouth as to how does he manage this brain-heart equilibrium so well even in pressure cooker situations and manages to stay ice-cool like 'Iceman' while being his original 'Maverick' self at the core! Also, another great piece of advice from another great man:- "In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart" :- Swami Vivekanand

When Hardik Pandya was asked by Dinesh Kartik in a conversation (after India beat SA in the 4th T20 at Rajkot) as to how does he manage pressure so well and remains calm, Hardik revealed another brahmastra given to him by MSD. He said MS told him to focus on what the team requires in any given situation rather than focusing on his own score. Focusing on his score or the current reality would only cause worry and create pressure, whereas, focusing on the team's need would give him a tangible goal to focus upon and make him achieve it given that the human brain truly is an incredible goal seeking system. Those who have read the  wonderful book, a timeless classic from Dr. Maxwell Maltz, "Pschyocybernetics" would instantly attest to that. For the uninitiated, its a must read... Further, focusing on a superordinate goal like team's need gives a player extra motivation and drive to achieve it rather than a personal goal. A complete chapter unraveling the power of Superordinate goals and how Australian and West Indies' cricket teams harnessed it effectively to win cricket world cups in 2015 and 2016; is available in the leadership book on MSD, "The Maverick's  Code", available on Amazon (at https://www.amazon.in/Mavericks-Code-Leadership-Strategies-Principles/dp/B0B1V74QFX) for those looking to dig for more...Check it out!