Dhoni the finisher, has some unfinished business
The hosts were tottering at 82/3 in the second ODI against South Africa when skipper MS Dhoni had walked in, and, in an innings that oozed grit and determination, Captain Cool painstakingly stitched together an 80-ball 86. It was the 49th over now, and as he squared off against a young Rabada, a million thoughts must have run through his mind as well as those of a million Indian fans.
India had badly lost the T20 series and the first ODI by five runs. What must have rankled more was that he had faltered at the last step. Needing 11 off the last over, one of the game’s greatest finishers had come up empty-handed against the same rookie bowler.
Two days is a long time in Indian cricket. The crowd and the commentators believed this time was different – a century was well within his grasp. But, as he fended off scorching 150 km ball after ball five times from the youngster, the crowd had again turned against him. MSD, after all, was done, they thought. Dhoni, however, had other plans as he launched an assault on the last ball, sending it over the ropes, after batting India to a winning total.
That innings was a microcosm of what Dhoni is. A gradual build-up – his ODI debut in Bangladesh saw him dismissed for a duck; seamlessly transitioning into a blistering mid-career when the whole world was at his feet, followed by a struggle against all odds at the end, of which, we believe, yet lies an emphatic finish.
But again, two weeks is a long time in Indian cricket. As the hosts slumped to their second worst ODI defeat ever in the fifth ODI, the demons that lurked in the shadows temporarily were out dancing again. Damocles would have preferred his place under the proverbial sword to trading spots with Dhoni.
When Sunil Gavaskar questions Dhoni's bowling changes, Sanjay Manjrekar asks whether he cares too much about winning now and Ajit Agarkar is critical of his very place in the team, one hardly needs to think twice before casting the man down the altar.
“You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” Harvey Dent said in the cult classic 'The Dark Knight'.
However, critics fail to answer the crucial question- Is Indian cricket ready for a life without Dhoni?
The answer remains an emphatic 'No'!
Who is their idea of an ideal replacement for Dhoni behind the stumps? Dinesh Karthik, Wriddhiman Saha, Parthiv Patel, Ambati Rayudu and Naman Ojha who are all above 30, while the young and exciting Sanju Samson is one for the future and needs a lot more grooming before he can step up?
MSD still retains the fastest hands in the business. The man is a sight to watch – as he redirects long throws to the stumps to concoct run-outs from nowhere, or as he clips the bails off standing up to India's mediumpacers.
Who is their idea of a replacement at the finishing line? Well. Do not take my word! A man who minces no words, Sehwag remarked this week, “He should continue as captain until the next World Cup. And if he retires... you can imagine. Even now when Dhoni is there, people have to think about who should bat at No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7. If Dhoni is not there, those slots will become absolutely (vacant) and you cannot expect somebody to finish the match properly.”
Don’t trust the experts? Well, we cannot blame you! Take a look at the stats.
When you compare the performance of men who have haunted the Indian lower order, we are left in no doubt that Dhoni towers above the boys season after season.
Things at the helm are a bit more settled. Virat Kohli seems almost capable of taking over the heavy burden of captaincy from the greatest captain India has seen. Kohli, however, needs more time to settle into the Test captain's role and mature into the role of captain across formats. After all, carrying the expectations of a billion people is no simple task!
Leave alone the Indian team, the fans are not yet ready for the departure of MSD. For a generation that is slowly coming to realize that the gigantic shadows cast by the Fab Five are fading, MSD has remained the only constant.
We were there when he announced himself – coming one-down and pulverizing the Sri Lanka attack with a 145-ball 183 in the third ODI back in 2005.
We were there when he ushered in the Golden era with a T20 World Cup victory in 2007- when he took a bunch of ragtag underdogs and transformed them into believers.
We were there when he won the World Cup in 2011 – when he came in at the 22nd over in the final, not for a second did we doubt that we would lose, after all we had MSD. And, boy, did he deliver in style when he lifted the World Cup with a six! Very few players across sports can instill that blind faith in a fan, even when your team is in dire straits.
We were there when he showed us what stuff greatest chases are made of, to win the Tri-Nation Series final against Sri Lanka back in 2013 – an innings that combined grit, character and perfect judgment as he partnered tail-ender after tail-ender and waited like a coiled serpent ready to strike. We were still there when he closed the match, striking a staccato 0-6-4-6 off the first four balls of the 50th over.
If you know the man, he’s not the sort who will hang around if he believes he is redundant. Like he did in Australia, MSD will quietly, and suddenly, walk into the sunset one fine day. Until then, he continues to endure, despite all criticism, because he knows the team needs him, as a wicket-keeper, as a finisher, as a captain.
MSD gave Sachin and Sehwag the farewell, they deserved, with a World cup trophy. And, he deserves to leave on his own terms. We hope he has that one final flourish left in him. We hope he gets that T20 Cup before he sails into the sunset!
Whatever happens, MSD shall always be remembered for his rags-to-riches story, for his flamboyant hair, for his helicopter shot, for his calculated assaults, for his witty post-match conferences, for his loyalty, for his last-over finishes, and above all, for his will to endure!
“O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won,”- Walt Whitman.