Mahendra Singh Dhoni: “Always my Captain”

As much I owe the great game for making me realize how important being fair is, yesterday, I did stop to ponder if the way it makes us feel is fair at all? It’ll give you all the highs when the captain wins you a World Cup with a six, and when he wins it for you by handing over the ball to a relatively lesser known bowler.  The same man will break your heart when he decides to walk off from the captaincy that gave you so much to remember, silently.

A man, mostly devoid of expressing emotions himself can make you feel the kind of emotions you didn’t know exist. Yet, he asks nothing extraordinary in return- not the fame, not the attention and not the limelight. While most people on field, irrespective of which sport it is, can hardly associate themselves with serenity, poise, and calmness, this particular man is the epitome of that.

Yet, he is so exquisitely paradoxical. You’d expect a man with well-built biceps, a gym-fit body, and reddish-gold dyed hair to be every bit of whacky and wild there is. But he was never like that. 9 years hence, his hairstyles changed, and cricket changed, but he didn’t. He was never like that. The only time you could relate wild in the same reference as his, was when he was out there at the crease, either pushing the ball out making the fielder at the deep square leg look like a spectator or by hitting an 112m monster.

WILD! He was calm, but his batting was not. His presence could turn a nail-biting situation into a moment that you could watch on YouTube every second day. He could scare you, yet bring you to life. He is Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Also read- O Captain! My Captain – MS Dhoni

He defined humble beginnings in the most inspirational ways ever whether it was his life or the start of his journey as an international cricketer. In a country where the confused people choose bizarre ways to show their patriotism and nationalism, he chose a subtle yet impressionable way to display it.

He is the man with camouflage-army wicket-keeping gloves who realized the essence of it and took upon himself the responsibility of guiding this cricket-crazy country home, adorning its stature with every ICC Trophy that exists.

A week before the 2015 World Cup began, Ziva Dhoni was born. It wasn’t an interlude for him because “I’m on national duty, everything else can wait.” His on-field strategies were calculated, but his words were not. He said it like it was, whether you liked it or not. He’d never hesitate to tell you that his wife is only the third-most important thing after his country and his parents. He once said. “I focus on cricket because I’m good at it. After retiring, I want to serve in the army. It has always been about serving the nation.”

His actions along with his captivating words crystallized the opinion that he is a man of intent. That was our captain. Our captain for 9 long years, who we saw only give us more to treasure as the reddish-gold hair turned grey.

He chose to end his captaincy 2 weeks before reaching 200 ODIs as captain, not surprising, that. A team man, never the one concerned about personal milestones. But, the milestones the team conquered were his solace. The privilege that his leadership was one that legends cherished and youngsters craved.. he was our captain.

Everything resurfaces again now. 2011, Wankhede. 2007, Johannesburg. Asking Ishant Sharma to bowl the 18th over in Champions Trophy’ 13. Guiding Hardik Pandya in the last over and inflicting the legendary run-out against Bangladesh, 2016. Asking Dada to captain during his last moments in International career. Handing over the silverware to the youngsters and standing in the corner himself.

Also read- MS Dhoni’s captaincy career in numbers

Journalists being subjected to next level trolling in post-match conferences. Making the most objective commentators go gaga over his bold moves. The stump mic recordings of when he ordered the men. His trust in the Ashwin-Jadeja duo making them the most desirable men for every captain now.

Dhoni giving bike rides to the men when it was cool..He was our captain. A lot will change, but like Virat Kohli, the newly appointed skipper said, “you’ll always be my captain.”

The next time you take a risk, and wish to trust your “gut feeling” and want to believe what your instinct says, just go for it. A small-town boy, Mahendra Singh Dhoni who became Dhoni The Captain did.

Written by Samreen Razzaqui