Thank You, Mahi

December 23, 2004. My pre-boards for the 10th standard were over. In our home, we had the old Amtron ‘black & white’ television with a wire connected to an antenna at the roof. Each time when the signal got disrupted, I used to pull the cord, gently. The Indian Cricket Team was touring Bangladesh at that time. After winning the Test series, India was playing their first ODI against Bangladesh. They were 5-down when a player (with dyed blonde hair peeking out from his helmet) walked in. He was India’s debutant wicket-keeper batsman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Facing Mohammad Rafique, Dhoni nudged the ball towards the square leg. He went for an ‘impossible’ run but was sent back by Mohammad Kaif. A sharp throw by Tapash and Khaled quickly dislodged the bails. Dhoni was out for a golden duck. I remember screaming at the TV and was visibly upset with what was unfolding at that time. To my relief, India won that match by 11 runs and went on to win that series. Dhoni’s debut went into complete oblivion.

April 2, 2011. I was in the middle of my seminar on fuel-cell science at the Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai. The student-wing had installed a gigantic projector screen in their auditorium. They had decorated the walls with Indian Tri-color. Reason: India was playing against Sri Lanka in the final of the 2011 World Cup at home. The moment Dhoni slammed a humongous six off Nuwan Kulasekara towards long-on, the whole auditorium went berserk. I could hear the chanting of just one word: ‘Indiaaa..Indiaaa’. That six by Dhoni put an end to a drought that lasted for 28 years. India lifted the ICC World Cup Trophy for the second time after Kapil Dev’s underdogs did in the 1983 edition at the Lord’s. Dhoni pushed the team to the front and let them lift the coveted Trophy. If there was one word anyone could hear after ‘Indiaaa’, it was ‘Sachin.. Sachin’. That man, Sachin Tendulkar, had waited for 23 years to be a part of a World-Cup winning team. Amid all this, Dhoni slowly merged into the team celebration. The following day’s headline had a picture of Dhoni looking at the ball as it soared high above the spectators. This picture became the poster-mark of Dhoni as the best finisher of the game. He had rightfully earned the sobriquet: Captain Cool.

An Enigma:

M.S Dhoni was fond of the ‘enigma’ tag that stuck with him. He was someone who never let anyone guess his plans. His decision to go before Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 World Cup was a game-changer. M.S caught everyone by surprise when he decided to retire from Test cricket in the middle of the series against Australia in 2014. He relinquished his service as the Captain of the Indian Team in 2017 but continued to play in the ODIs and T20s as a wicket-keeper batsman. His decision to step-down mid-series was criticized around the world. But Dhoni was a shrewd leader. His recent failures in England had made a considerable impact on his role as the Captain. The decision to hand-over the captaincy to Virat Kohli saw a definite change. From a calculative team to an aggressive one, Team India was unstoppable in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England. Despite losing in the final, Kohli’s role as an aggressive leader and Dhoni's maturity behind the stumps was a sight to behold for every cricket lover.

Cricket World Cup 2019:

Team India had lost only two World Cup matches under Dhoni’s captaincy: against South Africa in 2011 and against Australia in 2015. He had undoubtedly foreseen his future at the CWC 2019 in England. This was his third World Cup in a single decade. There were already enough rumors that this would be M.S’s last appearance at any ICC tournaments. All was well until the ‘best-finisher’ of the game couldn’t help India cross the finishing line. Chasing 338, Dhoni remained unbeaten at 42 in the match against England. A barrage of profanity was thrown at the person who’s the only captain to win three major ICC Trophies. India went on to beat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the fixtures and cruised to the knockout stage. On a cloudy day at Manchester, New Zealand set a target of 240 runs for India to chase. I had no idea why an experienced player like him walked in at No. 7 when India was 5 down for 71. Even though Dhoni and Jadeja formed a crucial partnership of 109 runs, India fell short of a meager 18 runs. Critiques and News anchors went insane. All fingers were pointed towards one man for the defeat—M.S Dhoni. Had it been not for his calmness, the defeat against England and New Zealand would have been worse. For a fact, there are 47 instances where Dhoni remained not out (during chases) and guided India to a win. No batsman comes close. Only twice he failed (when he was not out): once against Pakistan in 2013, and another against England in 2019.

A Long break:

Dhoni’s decision to take a ‘break’ from the game, after the World Cup, was an introspection period for himself. In his trademark style, he maintained absolute silence throughout the period when India played against South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand. The Coronavirus catastrophe only extended his break. Indian Premier League, where Dhoni-led CSK has won 3 titles and played 5 finals, was postponed due to pandemic. Dhoni was due to join the CSK training camp for the IPL 2020 on August 16, 2020.

19:29 hrs:

No last match. No farewell. M.S Dhoni posted a Bollywood montage (of his cricketing days) with a song written by poet Sahir Ludhianvi. The song says: I am a momentary poet. These lines define my story, and the person I am. Many poets came before me, and many will come after me. The tone changed when a picture flashed: the run-out of Dhoni in the match against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup. Why M.S Dhoni had chosen to declare his retirement on the 74th Independence Day will remain a mystery. He arrived at the scene with a run-out and exited with a run-out. Damn, M.S. I was saving up all these years so that I can watch you one last time playing your favorite shot. India will miss you. THANK YOU for the entertainment, Captain.