By IANS
Ranchi : Brand Dhoni is back with a bang in Jharkhand, with the Ranchi lad’s elevation as captain of the Indian cricket team for one-dayers, even before he has completed his first championship as Twenty20 skipper.
In a nation where cricket is no less than a religion and the fates of cricketers rise and fall with every match like a volatile stock market, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s poor World Cup show spelt oblivion for Dhoni-endorsed brands of gutka, hairstyle, petroleum products and music albums.
But now youths again want to sport a Dhoni hairstyle, and the gutka sellers and music album makers hope do some good business.
Brand Dhoni is on the rise once again.
Angry Dhoni fans had not only ransacked his house under construction in Ranchi after the World Cup fiasco but also boycotted anything even remotely associated with the cricketer.
“I am a die-hard Dhoni fan and I’m again growing my hair like him. I got my hair cut after he performed poorly in the World Cup. Since he is again back to his form, I am growing my hair,” said Sumit Singh, a college student.
“After the World Cup debacle, people hated everything with the Dhoni stamp. So, I got my hair cut to avoid ridicule,” he added.
Dhoni Gutka had vanished from the market since March. “People would often spit on Dhoni’s posters. We had stopped stocking Dhoni Gutka. Now there is again a demand for Dhoni Gutka,” said Ramesh, a pan (betel leaf) shop owner.
Same is the case with the Dhoni music album.
“Dhoni Jharkhand ke lal ne kiya kamal, mare chaua chakkha. Dhoni ke bal pe Musharaf bhail phida (Jharkhand’s son Dhoni has done wonders in cricket. He hits fours and sixes and his hairstyle impressed Pakistani President Parvez Mussrraf). This ‘Nagpuria’ album is back in demand.
“The sales of the album have increased in the last fortnight. When Dhoni was appointed captain Tuesday, I sold 20 copies of the CD,” said Rakesh Soren, who runs a local music shop.
Dhoni had failed to score in two of India’s World Cup matches and the flamboyant cricketer had to wait for weeks to return to Ranchi to avoid the fans’ wrath.
It is time now for the people of Ranchi to indulge once again in Dhoni mania.