Are Dhoni's Boys Shaping the Next-Generation Indian Persona!

Good show India! Beating Australia in Australia is no mean task and Dhoni and his boys have done that in style. One aspect that jumps out of the India-Australia series is the aggression that the team has displayed on the field (and off it through press statements). The Indian team has matched Australian team’s aggression in every game, every press statement, and during each phase of the series. If Ponting’s men have been aggressive in the field (which is what the Australian team is good at – building mental pressure), Dhoni and his boys have given it back to the hosts (and even more in some cases courtesy Bhajji, Shrishanth, Yuvraj, and the gang). The Indian team’s behavior is in stark contrast to Rahul Dravid’s typical “gentlemen” eleven. Is it good or bad, I don’t want to hazard an opinion! But it is getting us victories.

In fact “controlled aggression” has been India’s flavor for the past one year or so. Indian companies such as the Tatas, Mittal Steel, Infosys, Wipro, are coming into their own to acquire foreign firms and showing the kind of aggression in doing so that Indian firms have traditionally shied away from in the past. In the technology terrain Indian firms are now defining the “eureka moments.” Indian professionals are asking for “a seat at the table” (Nooyi, Sareen to name a few) in various large traditionally “foreign” MNCs.

Are Indian “boys” like Dhoni and Ratan Tata defining the next generation Indian persona?