MS Dhoni - The Midas of Indian Cricket

15th August 2020, on the auspicious and proud Independence Day of India, Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his retirement from international Cricket. No farewell match, no press conference, the man said two lines in an Instagram post to bid farewell to a game which will miss his presence forever. 

10th July 2019, India played against New Zealand in the Semi-Final of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup and needed to score 240 runs to reach the Final.

The stage was set… 25 runs from 10 balls… MS Dhoni was once again on the verge of rescuing India… and the very next ball, an entire nation's hopes were crushed when MSD failed to cross the finish line after Martin Guptill's only significant contribution in the World Cup

The fans were disappointed, and the wounds were bleeding for days.

It was a unanimous echoing sentiment, but the feeling that irked me more or rather emoted me more was the notion that I had probably seen the last of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Indian colors.

Ironically, both his first and last match for India ended with him getting run-out, and on both occasions, pain and anguish crept across the fans.

All of this brings me to a somber feeling that is growing inside me.

When Sachin retired, I remember I couldn't control my tears… The entire nation couldn't control its tears… It was the end of an era...

I am sensing a similar feeling because one of India's greatest has decided to hang up to his boots, and that revelation is making me tearful.

I don't remember the first few innings of MSD, and it was not until the 148 against Pakistan, that I started following him as a player.

The year was 2005, and I remember I was in college and had the first two lectures off on that day. Glued to the common-room television, I saw my hero Tendulkar fall early and out came Dhoni, not Ganguly… That was the kind of genius Ganguly was...

Dhoni walked in at No. 3 and smashed the Pakistani bowlers to all corners of the park.

Oh, I still remember that six over long-off against the bowling of Afridi.

From there on, he kept playing crucial knocks, and after a string of lower-order performances, Dravid promoted him to No. 3 against Sri Lanka, and we witnessed the carnage of the Sri Lankan bowlers. MSD scored an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls and spared no bowler.

Slowly and steadily, MSD became an integral part of the Indian team and filled the void which forever haunted Indian Cricket - the need for a proper wicket-keeping batsman.

Till then, MSD was more of a surprise for the opposition than a finisher, which changed very quickly when India toured Pakistan in 2006. His match-winning knocks match after match slowly gave him recognition as the game's best finisher, and India's hopes of running a good campaign in the 2007 World Cup were looking promising.

However, all that quickly diluted after India's abysmal performance in the World Cup. MSD, too had a horrible tournament, and the team needed a change; it required an elixir of youth.

I don't know how many people were excited about the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, but for someone like me who never needs an excuse to watch Cricket, I was eagerly looking forward to the competition. None of the great stars like Sachin, Dravid, Ganguly, Zaheer, etc. were playing. MS Dhoni got the job to channel the team as India's captain for the World Cup.

The first-time captain in a major World Cup got pitted against arch-rivals Pakistan in the group stage, and he scored a pivotal 45 to take India to a fighting score. There is a saying that great leaders don't succumb under pressure, and MSD was a classic example. He was calm, he was calculative and his choice of bowlers, field placings were top-notch. India managed to win that match via a bowl-out and game after game, got better. After beating the favorites Australia, India was once again playing Pakistan, and this time it was the T20 World Cup Final.

First-time captaining India in a series, and suddenly, he was on the brink of two paths. One path was staring at eternal greatness, and the other filled with uncertainty.

The 2007 T20 Final was a top biller and among the great India-Pakistan contests. It all boiled down to the final over where Pakistan needed 13 runs to win the World Cup, and it was in that moment when MSD made the most crucial decision of his captaincy career - who should I give the last over to? Harbhajan has one left, but he was hit for 3 sixes. Should I give it to Yusuf, but he has only bowled the one over?

And he ended up giving it to Joginder Sharma… and that's where his Midas touch came into light. After hitting the second ball of the over for a six, Misbah tried scooping one over fine leg but gave Sreesanth the catch that changed Indian Cricket forever. I remember watching that match with my family back home, and what a memorable moment it was… To date, I can hear the cheers we made when Sreesanth took that catch...

I wasn't there when India won its first World Cup in 1983, but I was there when Dhoni lifted the shiny trophy in 2007.

Indian Cricket changed after the T20 World Cup win, and it gave birth to the Indian Premier League.

2007 and after, MSD cemented himself as a captain and a finisher by becoming the first captain to win an ODI series in Australia. With greats like Sehwag, Sachin, Yuvraj, Laxman, Zaheer, Kumble, Harbhajan, etc. in the team, India under Dhoni was stronger than ever. In 2008, he took over the Test captaincy, and under his leadership, India became the No. 1 Test team. All the signals were positive, and our eyes were staring at the 2011 World Cup.

If you ask any Cricket loving fan, they will all agree that an ODI World Cup win is the most precious feeling for a fan, and the same goes even for the players. The 2011 World Cup, happening in India was a big deal and match after match, the challenge got tougher and tougher. Australia in the Quarter-Finals and Pakistan in the Semi-Finals were nail-biting finishes, and India was playing the Final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai. 

The Final in India, Sachin playing his last World Cup, a billion people praying for a victory... the pressure was immense for everyone. Sri Lanka batted first and scored 274 after a magnificent hundred by Mahela Jayawardene. India's chase started in the worst possible way. Both Sehwag and Sachin got out early, and the horrors of 2003 were seemingly becoming visible. Kohli and Gambhir stitched a healthy partnership, and when Kohli got dismissed, out came MS Dhoni. Until then, he was having a poor run of form, and promoting himself ahead of in-form Yuvraj did come as a surprise to everyone. However, what happened after that was pure genius. Great leaders have a knack of judging moments, assessing importance, and, most importantly, leading by example. MSD walked out in front of a packed Wankhede and played the best knock of his career - 91* of 73 balls and took India across the finish line. That six over long-on off the bowling of Nuwan Kulasekara will be etched in the memories of every Indian forever.

"Dhoni finishes off in style, a magnificent strike into the crowd, India lift the World Cup after 28 years, and the party starts in the dressing room.. and it is an Indian captain who has been absolutely magnificent in the night of the final" - Ravi Shastri's commentary when Dhoni hit that six to win the Final.

There is a famous photo in social media that shows Michael Bevan, Adam Gilchrist, and Steve Waugh holding the 1999 World Cup. The caption says - 'Best Finisher, Wicket-keeper and Captain' and then there is a photo of MS Dhoni alongside it, with the caption saying - 'One Man - Best Finisher, Wicket-keeper and Captain'...

That was the kind of impact he had when it came to delivering on multiple dimensions of the game. That inhuman, unparalleled ability of MS Dhoni to script fairy-like tales made him a legend of the game.

The 2013 Champions Trophy was the last feather remaining in his cap, and upon winning that tournament, Dhoni became the only captain to win all 3 ICC tournaments (T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, and Champions Trophy). Many fans may not remember, but India was unbeaten in that competition, which also was a rare feat for the team.

Future players like Kohli, Rohit, Jadeja, Bumrah, etc. groomed under MSD's leadership, and he brought out the best in them. He backed his team, supported youngsters, and his witty replies were a treat to watch during press conferences. There is so much of MSD as a person than the player that we can keep talking about him.

I won't talk about CSK and IPL in this blog because frankly, it deserves a blog of its own. The IPL is incomplete without MSD... He is the IPL… and he is undoubtedly the 'Thala' of CSK, and the fans love him… Whether he wears the Blue or Yellow jersey, MSD is nothing but a warrior on the cricket field. Staying behind the wickets, he motivates and maneuvers his team and instills the belief that nothing is impossible. He is right there in the league of greats.

He had the fastest pair of hands behind the wickets...

Had that calm, composed nature and believed in the process, more than the result...

Will never forget that impossible win against Bangladesh in the 2016 T20 World Cup when he took off his right glove and ran the batsman out...

His last over finishes, his presence on the field...

His inspiration for the likes of Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, etc...

And he made Team India believe that nothing is impossible...

No matter where the future of Cricket goes, MSD will be an inspiration and a figure of greatness forever.

More than 15000 international runs, 700+ wicket-keeping dismissals, 3 ICC tournaments, and so many IPL titles. We fans can just say - #ThankYouMSD for the memories.

#ThankYouMSD