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So his time finally came and MSD called it quits in his own characteristic style. No fanfare, no farewell test series, not even a farewell speech – one of the most inconspicuous exits as memory serves. One wonders if he knew that he would be playing his last innings in Test cricket as soon as he reached Australia.
You can only imagine what goes on in his head – captaining India across all three formats is serious business, yet Dhoni has never made it seem serious. As one of the coolest and toughest captains in the game, his face doesn’t give anything away. Maybe a career in professional poker or politics could be next but knowing Dhoni, one can never be sure.
Dhoni made a name for himself against Pakistan in 2004 at Visakhapatman. Sachin was back in the pavilion and with a flat wicket everyone wondered why the wicketkeeper was batting up the order. Our questions were soon answered in the form of a magnificent 148 off 123 balls. Many yet wondered if it was a one-off knock.
Dhoni promptly replied with a 183 off 145 balls against Sri Lanka which made his critics sit up and take notice. His jewel of an innings against Pakistan, a cool 148 against M/S Akhtar and Co.in Faisalabad, ensured that he would cement his spot in the team for years to come. Dhoni always backed himself to get those runs on the board.
He once told Greg Chappell, the then Indian cricket coach, that if he could play out the first 13 deliveries in an innings, he would win the game for India. His belief in his ability and some impressive knocks coupled with his cool composure eventually got him the top job.
In 2007, Dhoni led a band of youngsters into the newest format of the game – the T20 World Cup. None of the seniors in the team at that time wanted to be a part of it and the team roster was as fresh as the paper it was printed on.
Dhoni brought back the cup through some innovative tactics, the most famous of which was to give the last over to Joginder Sharma.
No one honestly knew what would happen but I suspect Dhoni did. By the time the tournament ended, Dhoni had established himself as a shrewd captain and the opposition never knew his next move on the field.
It was in the same tournament that Dhoni learnt that he had become the ODI captain after Rahul Dravid stepped down. He realized very quickly that now he would have to manage a bunch of seniors who had already established themselves in the game.
Dhoni the statesman came to the fore – he was able to easily move between the seniors and juniors in the group and gel the team into a cohesive unit. It’s a known fact that as a leader, Dhoni helped remove insecurities in every player and ensured that they had a long run under his watch. His moment of glory came when India finally lifted the World Cup again in 2011.
Yet as captain, Dhoni just stood aside and let the accolades go by. He realized very early that on-field wins and losses should not be taken seriously. A certain detachment to the job was developed which definitely helped him stand the rigors of captaining the side. Dhoni was always on top of the game when it involved a certain set of overs, 20 or 50.
He is the most successful ODI player out of India’s stables and a great finisher of the game. Whether the format be T20, IPL or ODI cricket, you know that when Dhoni is around, a win is very probable. A master tactician and very cool customer when chasing a win, he knows how to marshal his resources and force a result with the team that he has. Dhoni eventually took India to soaring heights in limited overs cricket.
Yet test cricket would eventually prove to be his undoing. Dhoni became the Test captain without much fanfare and took over the reins from Anil Kumble. There is no doubt that he is India’s most successful Test captain ever with wins against most of the teams in his own backyard and a few abroad. Critics however woke up on the same overseas tours.
Suddenly Dhoni’s tactics were found wanting and had he not been the captain of the ODI side already, few would have given him a long run in the Test team. This past year itself, the Indian team has lost Tests in England and Australia and Dhoni was asked point blank as to why he was still captain.
In the beginning of his Test career, he had been inconspicuous while the team rose to No.1 in Test cricket. When Dhoni became captain, he wanted to build his own team as any captain would and win more.
At home, turning wickets helped him post results quickly and rise. Overseas, the same team and tactics would fail time and again which led to his fall. In all fairness, he never had the bowlers who could win him Test matches on the trot. He became more cautious, more conservative, ready to take the draw than force a win whether it be home in Nagpur or away in Napier.
Under his leadership, the team would look to take the easy way out. At times, you felt like reminding him that he was a professional player and that he should go for a win just as he did in limited overs cricket. His unconventional ways cost the Test team more and with the emergence of Virat Kohli as the new captain, I wonder how the team will now progress.
But Dhoni was and is India’s captain. He has left the Test team in good shape and has built it out with the best resources available to him. He will be missed at No. 6 and being one of the best finishers in the game, his absence will be felt.
The team definitely needed new ideas on the field and Dhoni was certainly out of them as far as Test cricket went. Many seniors players felt that he did have 2-3 years of cricket still left in him and questioned the timing of his departure.
Those close matches, the strain of captaining India across all three formats, the toll on his body etc. could prove to be the reason why he left. He has left without much fanfare and one will never know the real reason behind his departure – just like Dhoni would want it.