An Ode to the Maestro – Mahendra Singh Dhoni

December, 2004.

Indian men’s senior cricket team under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly were up against their Bangladeshi counterparts, in an away ODI series. The team back then adorned a settled look, with regulars orchestrating triumphs more often than not, specially in the limited overs format. The perks of having Dada at the helm was quite evident in the way the boys expressed themselves fearlessly, and the fact that he was one to back young talents certainly bolstered their confidence. India had had enough of playing Rahul Dravid as a wicket-keeper batsman in the ODIs, and with the workload of Rahul taking a slight toll on his batting, the team management preferred the need to try out a regular wicket-keeper. Dinesh Karthik, who was making inroads in the South representing Tamil Nadu, was given a go at first. He couldn’t quite cash in on the opportunity, and come the first ODI in Bangladesh, the cricketing fraternity witnessed a newbie from Jharkhand receiving his maiden international cap, 158th overall for India.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A long-haired nonchalant personality, sporting a rigid physique that oozed masculinity in it’s truest sense. By the time he debuted, his name had created quite a buzz in the zonal circuit, primarily due to his unique ability to tonk the ball miles. Coming off a highly successful season with the then affiliated Bihar Cricket Association, Dhoni was the cynosure of all eyes as he made his way out in the middle for the very first time. His debut, however, didn’t go as he would’ve desired, having been dismissed off nought in trying to steal a cheeky single from a fielder stationed at short fine leg. A string of low scores thereafter put immense pressure on the boy from East, and a word doubting his eligibility in the squad started doing the rounds. Not that he was immaculate with his glove-work either. The team management though, kept faith in the raw talent of his and persisted with him for the home series against Pakistan.

April, 2005.

It was the second ODI of the five match series against a formidable Pakistan line up, played in the city of Visakhapatnam. India having won the toss and electing to bat first on a placid track, decided to spring in a surprise element in their batting order by promoting Dhoni to number three. With the early dismissal of a certain Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, out he came to join Virender Sehwag. Never before had Dhoni batted top of the order at an elite level, and the stakes were massive as he was playing for a place in the side. What followed next, was an experience to behold for several years to come from an ardent Indian cricket fan’s point of view. Dhoni was at his swashbuckling best, as he smashed his way to a maiden century and a personal best of 148, sending the thousands gathered at the stadium to a berserk celebration. That was, well, just the beginning of what the world was about to witness, from this freak of a being hailing from the city of Ranchi. Months later, in October, magnificent Mahendra was at his sparkling best yet again as he piled on the agony of Sri Lankan bowlers to notch up a mammoth score of 183, thereby helping his team chase down a big target at ease. The confidence in batting had a contagious effect on his keeping as well, and he was gradually getting sharper behind the stumps. Early next year, in January, Dhoni brought up his maiden Test ton against Pakistan in Faisalabad, a counter-attacking knock that bailed out the team from an ominous position and drew curtains on the career of Danish Kaneria, a leg spinner who was spanked all over the park with utmost severity. By then, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, renowned as MSD or MS, had become a household name in India courtesy his exploits on the field and fashionable measures off it.

September, 2007.

The inaugural T-20 World Cup got underway in South Africa, that led to the dawn of MS the skipper. Dhoni had been entrusted with the responsibility of captaining a relatively young side that lacked the requisite experience to succeed at a world stage, at least on paper. The fact that Dhoni was chosen to lead the national team ahead of the likes of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh who were much senior him, had raised many eyebrows. However, much to everyone’s delight, and surprise, MSD passed the test with flying colours as he led India to a historic triumph against the odds to clinch the much coveted trophy, a first of it’s kind. The most commendable aspect of Dhoni’s captaincy was his calm composure and precise intuition, which enabled him to back his own instincts and go the unconventional way even in crunch junctures of the game. His style of captaincy garnered quite a few eyeballs, and the fact that it paid dividends was reason enough to have a lasting impression. This instant success worked in favour of the big man, as he cemented his reputation of being a potent leader and eventually became one in all formats. Mahendra, fondly called as Mahi, was impeccable with his match-reading prowess, and helped the team surge to greater heights specially in the longest and most taxing form of the game, Test cricket. In December 2009, India, led by MS, became the number one ranked Test team in the world following a whitewash against Sri Lanka at home. According to the majority of pundits, what stood out in his leadership quality, was the way he brought the best out in an average player as well, by instilling faith and confidence that’d enable the concerned person feel that he belonged to the international arena. Handling senior stalwarts in a sport that’s considered to be a religion in the nation was no bread and butter, but Mahi was upto the task and in a blemish-free manner. Success galored in heaps, as Indian cricket team turned into a mighty force to reckon with in all three existent formats of the sport. India were always a dominant outfit at home, but now they hunted in overseas conditions as well and gave quality sides a run for their money. The most notable among overseas success during the tenure of Dhoni was the series win versus New Zealand in 2009 and the drawn one versus South Africa next season, in 2010. India were steady under the leadership of MS, and the players were given the comfort and liberty to be their individual self irrespective of the situation, a crucial aspect that’s very essential in any team sport. Most importantly, Dhoni bonded brilliantly with the then coach Gary Kirsten, and the duo shared a terrific rapport on and off the field, something that was imminent with the way the team performed as a unit. The sedate demeanor of Mahi kept him away from any controversy largely, and he wasn’t one to impose upon anyone for the sake of limelight, a trait to envy given the adulation an Indian cricket team captain gains worldwide.

February, 2011.

The tenth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup was up and running, jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Undoubtedly, there were huge expectations from India, and the home fans had been vociferously gearing up for this mega event. India got off to a fabulous start, running over Bangladesh with a stamp of authority. Dhoni didn’t have much to do with the bat, such was the dominance of India in the early part of the tournament, barring one odd game. MS was fluent with his captaincy throughout, and equally efficient with his keeping as India marched onto the knockout stages unscathed. Then came the big stage, where it was a matter of handling nerves better and seizing on to the slightest of opportunities that came one’s way. Dhoni couldn’t really contribute with the bat and he let himself down, but India sailed through to the finals defeating giants Australia and ever rivals Pakistan in successive matches. There they were, on the brink of a World Cup final to be played at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, against Asian powerhouse Sri Lanka. India were given a daunting task of chasing a total of 275, and heck, they were reeling at 31-2 when in came Virat Kohli to partner Gautam Gambhir. The Delhiites stitched a steady partnership much to the comfort of a billion watching. When Virat got out via a screamer from Tillakaratne Dilshan, India found themselves at 114 for 3 in the 22nd over, with the game standing wide open. To everyone’s surprise, I repeat everyone, Dhoni promoted himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh and took centre stage. The nation had been waiting for their skipper to deliver for the entirety of the tournament, and it was high time he played a captain’s knock. Guess what, ‘Cometh the Hour, Cometh the Man.’ Mahi rose to the occasion and played out a blinder of an innings, that led India to it’s second ever World Cup triumph, this victory one notch above as it unfolded in front of the home fans. MS remained unbeaten on 91, having churned out a flawless innings studded with calculated risks in between wily rotation of strike. The very intent of his in coming out at five before Yuvi was to thwart the threat of spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, and boy did he succeed or what. Him hitting a monstrous six off Nuwan Kulasekara over long on to polish off the proceedings is a sight to savour for ages. The legacy of Dhoni the captain was not to be perturbed, as couple of years down the line in June 2013, India became champions of the ICC Champions Trophy played in England. There too, MSD had saved his best for the last and his crude intelligence as a leader came to the fore while defending a low total in the final. We don’t pay much heed to his potential to dig in deep in the Test format to be honest, but statistics shed light on this calibre of his. In the series against England in England, mid 2014, Dhoni stood firm amidst frequent batting collapses, and he backed his compact defense to negate the opposition’s onslaught. He, truly, was a master at work especially amidst adversity, for he had the accuracy in vision to go with his cricketing technicality.

March, 2019.

Australia were in a tour to India, for limited overs fixtures solely. The third one day international was hosted by Ranchi, the home city of the man concerned, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. With the conclusion of the match, a word around suggested Dhoni had been rested for the remainder of the series. It was then that, rather candidly, the fear of having seen MS for the last time in Indian colors at home struck the minds of cricket fans. Pragmatically speaking, the thought is well within it’s rights since post the forthcoming World Cup, there’s seldom chance that Mahi may continue further. Yes, there being no international fixture in between, we may have well seen his last on Indian soil, where he had burst onto the scene somewhat fourteen years ago. There’s no dearth of remorse, as we sit and reminisce the glory that went by, with a tear or two sipping out unknowingly. Oh how smoothly he went about his trade, didn’t he? The fierce competitor in him was never reflected in his emotion, but he was fiesty from within and hell of a strong character. To talk of run-chases, he rests in his own league by virtue of being so very adept in constructing the innings as per necessity. Really, he isn’t claimed as the best finisher ever to have graced the turf for nothing. Adelaide ’08, Adelaide ’12, Port of Spain ’13, you keep naming the instances MS had been the architect of a historic victory while chasing. Dhoni might not go down as the neatest among all wicket-keepers, but his subtle ploys and hands like a flash make him worthwhile behind the stumps, his stumpings being a testimony to his class. As far as captaincy is concerned, he’s by far the best in terms of captaining to the spinners, for his rotation of bowlers and field placements accordingly, is an art of majesty that lies unparalleled. Dhoni’s contribution in the transformation of India into a clinical fielding unit, is worth commending time and over. The ones who’re avid followers of the game of cricket and have been thoroughly familiar with Mahi’s journey thus far, will undeniably relate to the fact that the legacy of MSD is beyond the confinement of Indian cricket, so it’s futile to try and illustrate the impact he has had on world cricket in general, through mere words. Earning accolades are a part and parcel of any legend’s career in any walk of life, but what’s cherished with sheer joy is the satisfaction that comes with hard work paying off. One thing stands rest assured, Mahendra Singh Dhoni isn’t just a name we the people of India are associated with. In fact, it’s a brand, rather an emotion that has cut a niche for itself in the core of our hearts once and forever. There’s bound to be failures on the way, and MS was no exception, but it’s all about introspecting where you erred to come out all guns blazing in your next attempt, of which Dhoni is an epitome. Here’s bowing down to ‘The Thala’, whose name and fame appear minute in the context of the most precious feather in his cap – that of ‘respect’, which he well excelled to earn.