How Dare you! Dhoni & co celebrate with wine&women

Dhoni and pals take a beating after television channel News X show them partying after Thursday's loss in Hyderabad

Photographs from a Hyderabad hotel aired by the television channel NewsX, has shown captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and some of his famous teammates enjoying the company of male and female admirers at a party which the channel claimed was held after India lost to Australia by three runs in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The loss put India 2-3 behind in the series before Dhoni's Indians succumbed meekly in Guwahati on Sunday to lose the home series. The seventh and final match is scheduled to be played in Navi Mumbai today.

The channel reported yesterday that the party was held within hours of the thrilling match which witnessed an epic innings of 175 from Sachin Tendulkar, whose effort went in vain due to to some careless bowling, fielding and batting by his teammates.

On a special show aired last night, channel guest Bishan Singh Bedi, the former India captain said that it was not unusual for players to let their hair down in a party. "Nothing wrong with it. After all, they are all adults," he said. But when the show host asked whether it was the right thing to do in the midst of an important series, Bedi remarked, "Now that is a big question mark."

Bedi wondered whether this was the reason why players were against the World Anti Doping Agency's whereabouts clause in the International Cricket Council's anti-doping procedure. He also seemed amazed as to how the Board was behind its players who refused to give out their whereabouts after play.

Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra and rookie Ravindra Jadeja feature in the photographs.

Journalist Gulu Ezekiel, the second guest on the show, refused to slam the players for their decision to party, but was amazed how fresh they could get after an energy-sapping match. The channel identified fast bowler Pravin Kumar as a smoker at the party.

A few former players whom MiD DAY contacted said they had not seen the shots, so were in no position to comment. However, former captain Chandu Borde, who managed Indian teams in the past, the latest instance being the 2007 tour of England, felt that it was time the Board appoints a permanent manager who would ensure discipline.

At the moment, the manager's post for every tour is distributed as rewards for votes in BCCI elections. No manager is appointed for a home series.

Cricket fans in Mumbai were not impressed too. Sandip Mehta, a businessman said: "Play hard, party hard but do that only after a victory. If you lose, go out for a quiet meal or better still, stay in your room and indulge in some introspection."

Ramji Dharod, a former Mumbai club cricketer, said that the most shocking aspect of the photographs shown on television was the sight of Dhoni. "If what we saw on television is true (that the cricketers attended a party after the Hyderabad defeat) then it is very sad. As captain, these public appearances don't do his image good. It doesn't send out the right kind of signals especially to your juniors," he said.

Dhoni pips Big B to emerge most Persuasive celeb

M S Dhoni has emerged as the hottest property among celebrities, pipping Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Amitabh Bachchan when it comes to selling a brand. The rankings are based on a survey by Percept Talent Management and Hansa Research, a media research company, and were arrived at after evaluating the stars on a number of parameters like persuasive power, looks, image attributes, popularity and media presence. Celebrities considered for the list, which is intended to help brands decide on the most appropriate star to sell their products, included actors, general sports persons and people from the music industry.

In the celebrity category, cricketer M S Dhoni holds first rank followed by Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian captain also beat out fellow cricketer Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar in the cricket category while Sania Mirza topped the other sports category with Vishwanathan Anand and Mahesh Bhupati at the second and the third spot respectively.In the male actors category, Shah Rukh Khan ranks first while in the female category the number one position is held by Aishwarya Rai.

“The results allow clients and talents to study the changes with the earlier data and allows them to combine the results for an even more robust and long-term understanding of changing public perceptions,” Hansa Research’s Managing Director, Ashok Das, told reporters here.

Dhoni, Shahrukh, Katrina Kaif Dominate TV ads

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif were the top three celebrities with maximum number of advertisers endorsed by them on TV during H1'09.

Celebrities of Bollywood has the highest share i.e. 78 percent, of overall celebrity endorsements on TV, followed by the sportspersons and TV personalities with 16 percent and 6 per cent share respectively.

Film actresses lead with 43 percent share of celebrity endorsement ad volumes on TV followed by the film actors and sports personalities with 35 percent and 16 per cent share respectively during Jan-Jun '09.

During H1'09, 'cellular phone service' was the top category in celebrity endorsement on TV followed by 'aerated soft drink' and 'shampoos' at second and third place respectively.

Asin caught With Dhoni at Big Bazaar

Ghajini girl Asin recently shot the new Big Bazaar TV Commercial with Indian cricket team’s captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni at a studio in Filmcity, Goregaon, Mumbai. Asin had been signed up as Big Bazaar brand ambassador just few months back, but had only done a print ad campaign with them since then. This is her first TV ad shoot for the brand.

It is learnt that this recent ad shoot between Asin and Dhoni took an entire day to shoot and saw many clothes changes for both of them. In fact, during the breaks both Asin and Dhoni even indulged in playing games. Dhoni seems to be fast gaining popularity amongst brands as just recently another ad featuring Bollywood hottie Bipasha Basu was seen on TV for an international shoe brand.

This new Big Bazaar ad shall be seen on TV from mid-August. Dhoni, presently is on a break since no cricket is happening till the tri series in Sri Lanka in September. Asin is meanwhile, shooting for London Dreams starring Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan and her Indo-Japanese venture.

Event organisers apologise for Chaos at Dhoni event

The organisers of a function in which India Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni participated as brand ambassador today apologised for the chaos that led to boycott by mediapersons. Godrej Company, organiser of the event, in a press release here said it had made elaborate arrangements for the event at Chennai Trade Centre providing separate seating area for mediapersons and exclusive elevated area for photographers. However, the audience rushed to the stage making event coverage difficult for the media.

The company expressed regret that this situation had upset the mediapersons and expressed apologies for the turn of events.

The organisers also said that such incident would not be repeated.

Dhoni's wait for Graduation prolongs

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's wait to become a graduate prolongs after the Indian skipper missed his B.Com Part One examination this year due to international commitments.

The prestigious St Xavier's College has denied to give the promotion to Dhoni, who had taken admission to the institution last year and was entitled to flexi-attendance.

"He did not appear in the B.Com Part One examination," said AK Sinha, Head of Examinations, without revealing any more detail.

Dhoni also missed his first semester examination held in December last year.

"Only when an examinee writes his papers then only his result can be termed as pass or fail. In Dhoni's case it can be said absent as he missed both his semesters. He can complete his two semesters next year only," Dean Jayant Sinha said.

The flamboyant cricketer had cleared 10+2 standard from a local school nearly a decade ago.

Dhoni, Yuvraj to Enter Bollywood!

Filmstars like Preity Zinta, Shah Rukh Khan and Shilpa Shetty have already ventured into sports business, thanks to IPL. Now Dhoni and Yuvraj are all set to enter into their domain. Yes, you have guessed it right.

Cricketers MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are all set to appear in a film produced by Dino Morea.

However, both of them have had an association with cinema in one way or the other. While Yuvraj has dated Bollywood hottie Kim Sharma, Dhoni plays a role in David Dhawan’s Hook Ya Crook.

Well, it would be good to see some real action on screen!

M S Dhoni poses with Shaheera Khan

Dhoni all praise for Windies Pace surprise Rampaul

West Indian pace surprise Ravi Rampaul has found an admirer in Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has praised the right-armer for his ability to force mistakes from batsmen by consistently bowling in the right areas.

Rampaul returned career-best figures of 4-37 against India as West Indies beat India by eight wickets in Kingston to stay afloat in the four-match series currently tied 1-1.

"Rampaul swings the ball really well, bowls in the right area, he forces you to play a big shot like the cover drive," Dhoni said ahead of the third one-dayer here on Friday.

Rampaul's spell left India tottering at 82 for eight after they won the toss and batted first, but Dhoni hit a responsible 95 to lift his side to 188 all out.

Dhoni said lack of assistance from the pitch in Kingston makes Rampual and fellow pacer Jerome Taylor's performance all
the more creditable.

"I don't think there was that much in (the pitch) for the bowlers," Dhoni said.

"They bowled really well, they were swinging the ball well and, when it stopped swinging, they were able to get reverse swing," he added.

The 24-year-old Rampaul, who has been hampered by multiple injuries in his career, the Kingston performance has given him confidence for the future.

"A performance like this has really helped me to come back and play international cricket and improve my confidencea lot," Rampaul said.

"I have been working hard in trying to make back the team and I felt good bowling. I got a bit of swing with the new ball and picked up a couple of wickets, it was a good return to international cricket."

Younis Emerging as a dynamic leader like Dhoni: Asif

Former skipper Asif Iqbal feels that Younis Khan is emerging as a dynamic leader like India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and said the right-handed batsman is the most suitable person to lead a team like Pakistan, which have an uncertain nature.You know, he has been my favourite captain. He is emerging as a dynamic leader like India's Dhoni. He certainly deserves this win,'' Asif told espnstar.com.

''I think he is the ideal player to lead the talented but unpredictable lot. Pakistan have periodically produced outstanding players. We have had some great cricketers. The Hanifs, Zaheers, Imrans, Javeds and Akrams have done us proud. But it is also true that some have been enigmatic as well,'' he said.

''To put it in a few words, Younus has been an outstanding captain. He has inherited tremendous abilities, is a good thinker and always stays cool. Seldom does he get irritated and that is what makes him a champion leader,'' he added.

Dhoni to get delayed Salary

MS Dhoni’s salary will be delayed next month. Ditto VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, S. Sreesanth and R.P. Singh. Reason: These India cricketers are among the 200-odd sportspersons employed by Air India. Also on the list are India hockey captain Sandeep Singh and Jhulan Goswami who captains the national women’s cricket team.

“Frankly, we are still not clear on the status but yes, the salary has been deferred by a fortnight,” said Shekhar Guha, head of Air India Sports Promotion Board. An Air India hockey coach, who didn’t want to be named, also said: “By the 20th of every month we get PLI (Performance Linked Incentive), but we have not got it till now and there are rumours that we won’t be paid at all.”

Some of the big names mentioned above may not be affected by this but for sportspersons, present and former, surviving only on salaries this is a big blow. Neither Raina nor Sandeep, a deputy manager, said they knew about this. “I have been hearing about it in the news, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. I will have to speak to my coach,” Raina, assistant manager, Commercial, said. Sandeep, however, felt if they did not get the salary on time would be a big problem.

Former India wicketkeeper and Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya said he would be hit by this but added that since “Air India takes care of its employees and this is a crisis, I urge all my colleagues to stand by it.”

In Mumbai, Bimal Ghosh, coach of the Air India football team which plays in the I-League, said training hasn’t stopped despite the announcement.

Company spokesman Jitender Bhargava said sportspersons, if hired as permanent staff, are usually recruited as assistant-managers. Their educational qualification too matters, he said. “We don’t employ sportspersons as brand ambassadors, but spot them young and groom them. So, their salaries are not higher than that of the top level managers,” he said.

As of now, the loss-making airline has formed a four-member committee comprising members from finance and personnel departments to look into its salary structure. Air India employs 31,000 people and has an annual wage bill of about Rs 3,000 crore. Its cumulative loss is about Rs 5,300 crore.

Air India has an annual sports budget of approximately Rs 4 crore and officials said, as of now there are no plans to curtail that.

Dhoni is a man of Strong Character: John Abraham

Team India captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni who is facing flak for his failed strategies during T20 World Cup campaign, has found support in his friend and actor John Abraham who lamented at the "Dhoni bashing" being played out in the media. "Mahi is a man of strong character and he will bounce back to be better and break more records. Cricketers are after all human beings. Such criticism is unfortunate and unfair. I agree introspection is needed," John told PTI here.

The actor said that one tournament can't change what Dhoni has done for the country.He has been a great captain and I fully stand up for him," said the actor.

Dhoni is also making a special appearance with the actor in David Dhawan's laugh riot 'Hook Ya Crook' along with other cricketrs.

John had suffered a fracture when a ball from cricketer L Balaji hit him directly during a shoot sequence of the film.

Meanwhile, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has described India's loss to England as disappointing.

"Lost by 3 runs. I suspect the decision to send Jadeja in so early cost us dearly. Also England bowled well. I guess we need to work on facing rising deliveries. Of course its easy for us to give our 'expert comments'," Khan said in his blog.

Bipasha vs Dhoni: Battle of the sexes

Bipasha Basu Flaunts Her Toned Body With MS Dhoni In Reekbok’s latest Ad

If he is the role model for millions, she makes people roll with her onscreen role! We are indeed referring to MS Dhoni & Bipasha Basu, the brand ambassador of Reebok, the pair who have come together for the first time ever in a TV commercial showcasing the latest edition of ‘Hexride‘ footwear from Reebok.as the duo sizzle in each other’s company exuding chemistry like never before. The said TVC features the two stars in a fun run, throwing playful challenges at each other while competing to reach the finish line first. The chemistry and playfulness between the Indian Cricket captain & the Bollywood heartthrob is for all to see.bout the ad’s shoot, Dhoni said, “Shooting for the ad was a lot of fun, not to mention running with a friend, which made the whole experience even more delightful”. While Bips was as ’sporty’ as usual as she opined that, “I am a fitness freak and I love to indulge in various activities like jogging, running, working out to keep myself it. I have experienced never before comfort in running with this footwear”.ay that all those gymming sessions of Bipasha’s are clearly showing marvelous results! With her superbly toned body, Bips is certainly ready to give Bollywood actresses a ‘run’ for their money.

Dhoni Continues as Top ODI Batsman

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni continued to hold top spot in the ranking for ODI batsmen even as Gautam Gambhir gained one place to be at 16th spot in the list released by the ICC today Yuvraj Singh (4), Virender Sehwag (7) and Sachin Tendulkar’s (13) rankings remained unchanged.

With no one-day action since the one-day series against New Zealand in March, no Indian bowler made it to the top 10. Zaheer Khan remained the best Indian bowler at number 16. Yuvraj also figures in the top-five all rounders’ list, where he is placed at number three.

Meanwhile, Stuart Broad has become England’s highest-ranked bowler after a successful series against the West Indies. Broad, who finished as leading wickettaker in the series with six scalps, including 4-46 in the second ODI in Bristol, and has been rewarded with a jump of four places. The 22-year-old fast bowler now sits alongside Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi in a career-best ninth position, replacing Andrew Flintoff in the top-10.

MS Dhoni girl friend gets Desperate

Is Lakshmi Rai getting desperate to have her name linked with Indian captain M.S Dhoni?

She has been giving interviews claiming that she is open to marriage with the Indian skipper.

But MS is keeping a safe distance from her, and concentrating more on his cricket rather than talk about a “casual acquaintance”. Was it a one-night stand between Dhoni and Lakshmi Rai?

Though the actress tries to make it look like she is extremely close to him, sources in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) say he is keeping a safe distance.

It seems MS made it point to get an assurance from the organizers in South Africa that she was not given an official invitation by the IPL to attend the closing ceremony in Johannesburg !

Meanwhile after her Malayalam film 2 Harihar Nagar became a blockbuster; she has been getting a lot of offers from Malluwood. She is in a position to make it to the top in God’s own country, but her heart is in Kollywood.

Watch out for Lakshmi in Mutthirai, where she has done the role of a very sensuous bar dancer.

Dhoni is Very affectionate: Lakshmi Rai

Lakshmi Rai started young. She started modelling at the age of 13. "My parents were a little apprehensive and said okay, thinking I would only be walking the ramp. Being an actress was way beyond their imagination." But an actress she turned out to be, as she won the Miss Karnataka crown twice and there were a spate of Kannada and Tamil film offers.I was very young and didn't know where I was going. I met some really unscrupulous people too and experienced a lot of rubbish. But thankfully, my parents were with me all the time," she says.

Those things are in the past now. After having made a bit mark in the South, Lakshmi is all set to enter Bollywood. However, she has just backed out of Himesh Reshammiya's Hey Gujju. "I had agreed to do the film, but after watching Karz (Reshammiya's earlier film), I decided I cannot be a part of such films. I requested them to let me go," she says.

But what has worked in her favour is being linked to the captain of the Indian cricket team, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. "I know Dhoni since last year. He, along with the Indian team, came for my birthday party and we got along very well. Dhoni and Suresh Raina stayed on till five in the morning. We have been in touch since then and I can safely call him my best friend. For a long time even though we were meeting, people didn't write about us. But after 26/11, security was stepped up...Once Dhoni had come out to have coffee with me. I think the security leaked the story that we were together. Since then, there has been no stopping the stories about us," she says, with a laugh. "Dhoni is a gem of a person. No airs, no attitude, very humble and down to earth."

Lakshmi let's in on a secret: "Dhoni says he wants to get married within a year or two..." And would she accept it if he proposed? "Someone else had asked me this question too and I replied, Why not?" she says, with a giggle. "But Dhoni is the kind of guy any girl would want to marry, he is very affectionate andbalanced."

I will marry Dhoni!Laxmi Rai

M.S. Dhoni’s personal and professional life is on a high. While his cricket team Chennai Super Kings is among those at the top in the ongoing IPL, his love life is in good form too.

There have been reports linking him to South star Laxmi Rai, and now the confirmation has come from the lady herself.

Laxmi Rai is smitten by the Indian cricket captain. She has said she met Dhoni last year and since then their relationship has been growing.

They have been dating for quite some time now.

Laxmi said Dhoni is a gem of a person and is also very affectionate.

Laxmi has revealed one more secret. She said that if ever Dhoni proposes to her, she will readily agree to marry him.

Laxmi Rai is a model cum actress. She has also been Miss Karnataka.

After making her name in the film industry down south, Laxmi is now turning to Bollywood. Even though she rejected Himesh Reshammiya’s “Hey Gujju”, after watching his film “Karz”, she is hopeful she will get better offers.

This is not Dhoni’s first relationship with an actress. In the past, he was briefly linked with Deepika Padukone.

Shamita Likes Dhoni!

Shamita, as you might have seen on television, has accompanied elder sister Shilpa and her beau Raj Kundra — owners of Team Rajasthan, to South Africa for the IPL. From where reports came faster than sixes of Warne showing more than a healthy interest in the boss woman’s kid sis.

Some stories had the two cosying up at a party that Shilpa had thrown after a victorious match. Warne, who is notorious for his roving eye, was naturally unavailable for comment. But Shamita was not amused by the rumours.

“I don’t know where the press is getting this from but it really needs to get the facts right. Honestly, it’s the funniest bit of news I’ve heard in a long time,” said Shamita who doesn’t interact with the team and has barely met Warne thrice.

The story goes that Warne, whose wife Simone Callahan reportedly left him as a result of his womanising, had first hit on Shilpa herself. But since the elder sister was already betrothed to Raj Kundra, the captain of her team turned his attention to younger sister Shamita. Funnily, when BT was doing a Valentine Day’s story with the couple earlier this year, Raj had jokingly remarked, “I’d better propose to Shilpa before the T20 matches or else Shane Warne might try his luck!”

His failure with the Shetty girls has not done anything to spoil Shane Warne’s reputation as a world class cricketer in Shamita’s eyes. The twinkling-eyed Aussie still remains her “fave” player. But she adores Pathan. “Have you seen him get ready for a six? He’s got an amazing style,” she said. And then there’s also Dhoni, who is from the Chennai team, but still another favourite of the sultry actress. “I’m having fun,” she said, “from a non-cricketing fan, I’ve turned into a cricket enthusiast overnight.” Warne notwithstanding.