These are the embarrassed fans of Dhoni’s hometown…but I guess it’s also a peaceful way for showing disappointment.
RANCHI: Indian wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s long locks did not just impress Pakistan president Musharraf into urging him not to trim them, but also became a style statement with the city’s youth.
Now many among Ranchi’s Gen-X, who aped the batsman-wicketkeeper, are making a beeline for salons to get rid of their long hair — some out of fear and others out of anger at his poor showing at the World Cup in the Caribbean.
“I don’t want people to poke fun at me. In the aftermath of Dhoni’s performance in the World Cup, people would certainly laugh at me if I continue to sport his hairstyle,” said Alok Modi, who was getting his hair cut — ironically in the same parlour that Dhoni patronises when he is in Ranchi.
If Modi was scared of being jeered, Bhola Singh rid of his hair in a fit of rage. “How can I imitate a person, who put the nation’s pride on the backburner and chose to follow those cricketers for whom cricket comes second and featuring in commercials is of prime interest,” Singh said.
Another Dhoni fan, Sunil Kumar, got rid of his hair because “identifying yourself as a Dhoni fan is like a crime in the existing circumstances”. A hairdresser at one of Ranchi’s most popular salons said he had already trimmed the hair of about 50 customers so far.
