Thank you, Dhoni
Emotions soar across the country as one of the greatest leaders of the nation walks away from the game. Dhoni’s retirement marks the end of an era in Indian cricket.
The inevitable nightmare has happened. MS Dhoni will not take the gloves for India any more. The best finisher of all time, captain cool, the safest pair of hands behind the stumps — Thala, Mahi, Mahendra Singh Dhoni — one man with so many dimensions to him, the man who led India through a glorious phase and laid the foundation for India to be an elite team for years to come, has walked away from the game in his own way.
Calm
Sourav Ganguly started the change in culture for the Indian team and brought in aggression to the team culture. Dhoni embodied the aggression, ironically with his calmness. He won all the titles in world cricket and inspired the new generation of cricketers to take up the game. He led by example not only in batting, keeping and fitness but also in how he conducted himself in all situations on and off the field. We watched him and grew with him in the last decade of his and our lives. He hit that final six of Kulasekara to win India the 2011 World Cup. He is undoubtedly the greatest finisher India has ever produced. Amidst all these years, the aura of calmness and control he always had, irrespective of the situation, never went away. Though coaches, players and even rules and approach towards the game changed, Dhoni’s calmness remained the only constant in world cricket.
Keeper
He didn’t play according to how the books taught how the game was played. But he was the fastest and safest hands behind the stumps for more than a decade. His lightning fast stumping and flicks to the stumps, often without even looking where the stumps has personified the awareness M. S. had about every inch in a cricket field. If Dhoni reviewed a decision, India knew the umpire definitely made the wrong decision and would soon be overturned. Dhoni inspired millions across the world and broke the stigma that you had to be born and brought up in Mumbai, Kolkota, Chennai or Bangalore to achieve what you were born to achieve.
Captain
He led a young team to the title of the first-ever edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. He captained legends. He led India through the transition when the mighty walked away from the game. He spoke rarely, but the sound of his bat has across the decade often silenced the doubters. He chose his dream, amidst a series of setbacks, he maintained his belief in himself, and more importantly, valued his responsibility to his country. His love for the army speaks volumes about how much India means to him. It is only fitting that he broke his silence to announce his retirement on the Independence day. He has proved to be worthy of being India’s favourite son, since the very beginning of his story.
Brother
His brotherhood and partnerships with Yuvraj and Kohli inspired the entire country to believe in friendship. He always respected the seniors and backed the youngsters joining the star-studded Indian team. Ashwin, Bumrah, Jadeja, Hardik, Kuldeep, Chahal and many more became international cricketers feeding off the belief that Dhoni had in them. Even Virat, the captain was mentored and grew over the years as a skipper and a player, under the watchful eyes of the silent guardian of the country, M. S. Dhoni.
Brain
He threw the ball to Joginder Sharma in the final over of a T20 World Cup final, when the world expected the senior veteran Harbhajan Singh to take the ball. He promoted himself in a World Cup final, ahead of the in-form Yuvi, to guide his team to a World Cup win after a long wait of 28 years after Kapil Dev’s team won the 1983 World Cup. Thank you for teaching us to believe, to fight, to calculate and to evolve. He kept asking us to trust the process almost every time he spoke in a post-match presentation. We probably as fans did not appreciate the process enough then, but with the supremacy that the Men in Blue have gone on to attain, we finally understand what M. S. Dhoni saw and build all those years before.
Finisher
World cricket will not be the same without M.S.’s helicopter shot and the ball disappearing over mid wicket’s head to land on the roof of the stadium. He often refused the single in the death overs to win countless games nobody would have imagined that India would win. Though our last memory of Dhoni in blue will be that unfortunate run-out in the semi-final against New Zealand, we will never forget how he time and again made the impossible happen on the cricket field.
Legend
Mahendra Singh Dhoni — you are undoubtedly the smartest cricketing brain of this century. You gave India all that we dreamed about and more. You didn’t play for the numbers or the fame. You always played for your country. You even refused to take a break to be with your wife when your daughter was born, choosing duty over everything else. As 10 will always mean Sachin, 7 will always mean Captain. You will always be our captain.
