Divya Deshmukh scripted history after she defeated compatriot Koneru Humpy in the final of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup. The 19-year-old became India’s fourth woman Grandmaster after the win as well. It is worth noting that Deshmukh defeated Humpy in a tie-break victory after a hard-fought battle between the two.
After the youngster’s win, her former coach, Srinath Narayanan, took centre stage and drew Deshmukh’s comparison to former India skipper MS Dhoni. He likened Deshmukh’s ability to deliver in crunch and pressure moments to that of MS Dhoni.
“She’s quite an aggressive player. But with time, Divya has become more all-round, more versatile. I think she’s equally good across all the different formats… Classical, Rapid and Blitz. And her strength is, I think, turning up in those big moments, crunch situations. Like how Mahendra Singh Dhoni used to win the matches in the last over,” Narayanan told PTI.
After her win against Humpy, Divya also talked about the areas where she can improve and how she hoped to win titles for a long time in the future.
"I definitely need to learn endgames. I am pretty sure at some point I messed it up. I need time to process it. I think it was fate that I get the GM title this way. Before this tournament, I didn't even have one norm. It definitely means a lot. There's a lot more to achieve. I'm hoping this is just the start,” Divya was quoted as saying by ESPN.
MS Dhoni’s legacy in crunch moments
It is worth noting that whenever pressure in sports is mentioned, MS Dhoni’s name is thrown into the mix more often than not. After becoming the captain of the Indian team, there were several moments where Dhoni turned his game around and became a finisher for his side. Leading India to the 2011 ODI World Cup win after his heroic knock in the final, Dhoni solidified his legacy with the masses.
