How Dhoni’s last innings adds to the legendary myth of the man

I had not been following the cricketing chronicles of our national team of late, but was eagerly looking forward to the world cup. Numerous reasons; had a sense that we were sending one of strongest contingents ever (their performance proved me right), thought it was a good way to catch up with ODI cricketing world and most importantly, to see the beautiful English cricket venues. And I was not disappointed; the new league format made the competition interesting, it was a pleasure watching Afghanistan rise to the level of cricketing standard they did (the India match) and as an Indian, nothing was more joyful than seeing Rohit Sharma bat, in what could be remembered as one of the best batting form in the history of the tournament.

Dhoni: The Trampoline

Dhoni is an era in Indian cricket. And that era has multiple milestones within it, marked distinctly by his changing hair style, at least in the former years and by major personal/ professional landmarks in the latter years (Ziva, Rising Pune Super Giants, return to CSK etc). The milestone relevant for this piece is the Dhoni post captain of Indian cricket team. I did a quick google check to get the timeline straight, Dhoni made way for Virat Kohli as the captain of the Indian ODI team in January 2017. The simple google search also highlighted this “Mahendra Singh Dhoni revealed that the reason he gave up captaincy early was that he felt that the next captain would require time to build a strong team before the world cup 2019”.In the times of Kohli as the captain and Mahi as the player, Indian cricket probably found its most exciting growth phase. In Kohli we had the raw, untamed energy; the virility of the Indian youth ready to roar and conquer the world, backed by the cool as an ice cube, wise and pragmatic guru in Dhoni. To be fair to Virat, he had matured quite a lot as a player and as a leader to lead the team, but Dhoni’s presence definitely acted as his trampoline. Even if he failed in his stint, he could fall back on Dhoni, which would be the best possible thing for the team. Thus Dhoni’s presence gave Kohli the 007 license to pursue his fiery brand of cricketing leadership.

Dhoni as Bhisma Pitama

Dhoni in this role is like the Bhsima Pitama of the team. The wise campaigner, whose mere presence and experience is enough to instill a sense of calm and confidence in the team. And he never had to consciously make his presence felt. How many times have we (and the commentators) noticed Kohli jogging over to Dhoni for a field placement advice, or Dhoni unassumingly doling out tacts in the choicest language over the stump mike to the bowler. One of the commentators made an impressive point when he said that the reason why Kohli, who is a remarkable fielder, could take the liberty to fend the boundaries is because he can bank on MSD to marshall the bowler and the troops in the infield. This setting doubles up as such a major resource allocation strategy for the team ! It allowed Virat to experiment and foster his brand of cricket and leadership which he successfully did. This proved to be an excellent example of top leadership overseeing a smooth transition. A legit lesson in corporate governance may be derived out of this.

Dhoni and the virtue of Sacrifice

Now for Dhoni, he won the heart of the country, where the idea of “sacrifice” or “balidaan” is revered with utmost devotion. And this was no ordinary sacrifice, mind you. For we are also a country where the “kursi” is the ultimate symbol of power, where being the leader, the “kaptaan” is the ultimate glory. In such a country, you had someone who thoughtfully gave away his “padh”, his supreme position as the captain of the Indian cricket team to someone else, in a bid to support his successor and his team till he was fit enough to do so, is the ultimate hero sacrifice. In this role, Dhoni was no less than Lord Ram, sacrificing his throne for the greater good. Or closer to the Prabhaas portrayal of Baahubali, the quality of nonchalantly giving up the throne but at the same time, shouldering his responsibilities as a team player, earnestly and dutifully. It came with a huge swathe of public acceptance, sympathy and reverence for this divine hero.

The Glory Script vs New Zealand

Dhoni, already the capable warrior and revered guru of the Indian cricket team, found himself once again in a situation scripted for glory, as he had previously on numerous occasions throughout his career, in the semi final match against New Zealand. Trial by media and heated discussions/memefication of his recent performances from supporters and haters alike set the perfect stage to witness the drama unfold; can Dhoni single handedly once again be the saviour for team India.

Had Dhoni managed to secure a win for India, he would have attained cricketing nirvana. It would have been a fitting end, the most glorious swansong we could imagine. For the warrior saint of team India to pull the team out of the rut and guiding them to the final single handedly — this would have superseded his imagination as the fearless and glorious six hitting captain to bring home the world cup. IF he could have done that.

But realistically , it would have been tough. After Jadeja’s wicket without any support from the other end, achieving the 15 runs per over after 48.3 overs was not an easy task. Not even for Dhoni, who to be honest, as Harsha Bhogle has articulated “is a shadow of his former self”. It was highly likely that Dhoni, our warrior saint would have failed trying. It was highly likely that at the end of 50 overs, Dhoni might have still been on the crease, without having seen India over the line. And that would have been disastrous for Mahi. Then the trial by media and public opinion on social media would have swept against him… “why did he leave it till the last over”, “does the team have a place for his slow strike rate” and thus far. Nobody would have liked to see a Dhoni unbeaten and on the crease, and India on the losing side. The statistician was already flashing suggesting data.

So, what is better than failing while trying? Dying while trying !

Dhoni, one of the fastest humans in the 24 yards between the wicket, lost his wicket to a brilliant direct hit by inches while completing the second run. The second run is always a much more dedicated effort than the first. And in cricketing world, a direct hit is one of the few instances where the dismissal is not attributed to the lack of skill of the batsman. Like the perfect Malinga yorker or the Akramisc swinging delivery, the direct hit is a result of the sheer talent of the fielder, in front of which the batsman stands no chance. And Dhoni in this case couldn’t survive this brilliant feat of athleticism… by just an inch or even less. This has to be the most accepted form of dismissal. Had Dhoni been foxed and clean bowled, or had he been caught on the boundary, it might have been attributed to his callousness as a player, or worse still his fading (or dead) skills. But being dismissed by the brilliant direct hit by less than an inch margin on his second run, after completing his half century on the first run… this was a dismissal made of dreams for the divine hero.

Nobody likes a loser, but everyone loves the warrior who lost trying.

With his wicket the hope for India advancing to the semi was met with a full stop. Had he stayed on the field, however unlikely the equation might have been, Indians would still be hoping for a Mahi miracle. And if the Dhoni of today couldn’t have taken the team across the line, he might have become the unlikely villain. The run out of the second run is the best thing that could have happened to Dhoni. He could be likened to the warrior who dealt blows after blows on the battlefield, but fought till his last breath, only to be outsmarted by the opposition… the brilliant direct hit by Guptill. Much better than him staying on the crease and India ending up on the losing side nevertheless. For MSD, it is a glorious script that he died while trying, rather than trying and failing.