A gem of Indian cricket

After “From the 1929 hrs consider me as Retired” sunk in, a good friend and I were whatsapping about the everlasting impact of Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) on our lives. I was reminded that I was one of the early backers of MSD. What was it that I saw in MSD?

For starters, he was an eye popping talent. To most of us that had salivated over Adam Gilchrist’s skills in the 2000s, Dhoni showed us the possibility of Made-in-India. His predecessors were clinical behind the stumps but at best modest in front of it, many times coming to face a ball or two and hand over the strike to the once-in-many-generations Kapil Dev. Post Kapil, a desi Gilchrist avatar was the need of the hour. MSD answered that call and how!

Next, he seemed unflappable under extreme pressure. His performance in the World Cup Final is stuff of legend, but even in the early years, he showed promise. Shoaib Akhtar’s spell of hostility and venom in Faisalabad was a case in point. India had conceded 588. While the pitch was docile, the bowling was far from. MSD shrugged off beamers, abuses and a barrage of bouncers and responded with his 1st test century. He also followed this with some cool calculated bashing with Yuvraj Singh in the ODI’s that followed, where India chased nearly 300 twice with utmost ease. India cool and calculated in ODI chases after Tendulkar’s dismissal? This unchartered territory for an Indian fan made MSD a stock to invest in.

Unlike many cricketers his age, MSD seemed to be an astute thinker very early on. While the focus was on his flowing locks and newest hair color, you could see that he was always switched on as a wicketkeeper. His lightning hands made up for his unorthodox technique. He was also street-smart, a trait you would associate with small town cricketers who need some unique trick up their sleeve to stand out from the affluent kids from the metros. His constant suggestions to seniors such as Anil bhai and his beloved Paaji warmed my heart.

MSD was also poker faced. In an era where a half decent catch led to the opponent’s parents and siblings (only in words) being invited to the stadium, he often just walked to the bowler and gave him a pat on the back. If he celebrated a little more joyfully, you knew that the match had turned irreversibly India’s way.

Clearly, there is enough material on MSD to warrant a book, but in this blog I will pick my top 5 MSD moments:

1)T20 World Cup 2007
Handing the ball to the medium pacer Joginder Sharma in the last over of the t20 World cup final has in hindsight been touted as a masterstroke, but I always saw it as a practical piece of captaincy. India’s best slow bowler on the day, Harbhajan Singh, had been neutralized brutally by Misbah , who had a special talent of clearing any ground. MSD was left with no choice. Joginder being the underdog actually worked in his favor and Misbah panicked.

2)World Cup 2011
Despite tremendous pressure from demanding home crowds , a weak tail and a terrible fielding unit , India showed enough batting strength to reach the final. A chase of 275 with Tendulkar back in the hut was a switch off the TV moment in the 90s. But the 90s were long gone! MSD , in a stroke of brilliance, promoted himself ahead of Yuvraj to take the off-spinner Muralitharan head on. The gamble paid off. That last hit into the stands accompanied by the twirl, brought tears to most Indian eyes and to date remains the most precious moment of my cricket watching.

3)Spotting talent and making a cricketer
When Ravichandran Ashwin came into the spotlight, he was a t20 bowler that did well in the IPL, but MSD saw that he could translate that potential in the longer format. Same with Ravindra Jadeja who has almost bowled more for India in tests than for Saurashtra or any level below. Likewise creating a role for Raina as a floater in t20’s and ODI’s. Converting Rohit Sharma to an ODI opener in 2013. Sticking with Kohli despite some lean games in 2009-10. Blooding Bumrah and Hardik Pandya and handing them the death overs early on in their careers in 2016. The list goes on.

4) 2013 Tri-nation final vs Srilanka in the Caribbean
"Iceman Dhoni breaks SL hearts" screamed the headline. Fighting an injury that almost ruled him out of the tournament, MSD played the final despite not being 100% fit. And he proved to be the difference between the 2 teams.
15 runs to win in 6 balls. MSD on strike to Eranga. Ishant Sharma at the other end, which meant he had to score all the runs. Over started with a dot ball. 15 in 5 balls? No change in expression. No desperation. Cards very close to the chest. Follows it up with 6 4 6. Game over. No swear words. No finger wagging. Grab a stump and shake hands with your vanquished opponent. I recollect vividly that when he was being hounded by teammates, he said "Pehle unse mil lete hain" referring to the opposing players. The sense of occasion and feet on the ground even in this superman moment stunned me. MSD was made from a different material.

5)Passing the baton
Never in Indian cricket history had passing the baton been so smooth and seamless as the transition from Dhoni to Virat Kohli. The new captain genuinely wanted the ex-captain around and Dhoni was his go-to man in pressure situations. The mutual respect between the two spoke a lot about Dhoni’s class.

While there is a tinge of sadness that we will never see Dhoni in an India shirt again, that he changed Indian cricket forever is beyond debate. In my book, he will sit alongside Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Kumble, Dravid and Tendulkar in the pantheon of the highest rung of Indian cricket greats. It's heartening that his successor Kohli has already achieved enough to join this list.

MSD’s existence in these last 15 years wasn't bombastic. His demeanour certainly wasn’t Page-3 material. Infact, as Javagal Srinath recently said, MSD was like a yogi who had detached himself from the match results. His goodbye therefore deserves to be on the lines of his favorite song Main pal do pal ka shaayar hoon as well.
Well played, champion! May Indian cricket be blessed with a few more like you!