O Captain! My Captain - MS Dhoni

The opposition is celebrating. They have just dismissed Sachin Tendulkar. Of course, everyone knows Tendulkar. He is the alpha and omega of Indian cricket. They are not celebrating, but they are rejoicing. I mean, who wouldn’t be. As the minuscule yet iconic figure of Tendulkar makes his way back into the haven of the dressing room, a much bigger and dominant figure emerges.

There is a distinctive frown on the face of the bowler which he cleverly covers up with a smile. Yet, he walks past their huddle and towards the other batsman present. He wears a cap, not the helmet that is tucked away deep into his kitbag. Bravery is the word that comes to my mind. His bat is massive. However, he will not use it for simply scoring his runs. Similar to Thor, he will unleash thunder and lightning from his bat. A massive piece of willow that has served him well for the most part of his career.

Many would distinctly remember the debut of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It was an incredibly low-key affair. Apart from the long hair tucked under his cap, there was little more to what happened. Without facing a single delivery, Dhoni was run out. There went his ODI debut. He had shown signs of phenomenal batsmanship with the India ‘A’ side, but many wondered if this would be yet another clone of the wicketkeeper-batsman one would see for a brief period of time before he too disappeared back into the oblivion of Indian domestic cricket.

There have been many instances where MS Dhoni has shown that character builds a player rather than just good strokes and potential. One of his early innings in Vishakapatnam against Pakistan proved to be exactly the point I’m looking to illustrate. Once again, it was the narrative explained above. Mohammad Yousuf (Youhana at the time) had just claimed the early scalp of Sachin Tendulkar. The Pakistanis were celebrating like a time no other.

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There was a hush around Vizag. The shock was something that had thrown them into a trance. They had paid good money to come watch Sachin bat and he had given them only two runs of their money’s worth. Youhana and the rest stood together awaiting the entrance of Rahul Dravid. Perhaps he would be the one to pick up the pieces as he had done on many occasions.

I also distinctly remember some heads sinking into their hands when the figure of MS Dhoni arose from the blind spot behind the sight screens. He played a few shots into the air and made his way towards Virender Sehwag who was digging a few specks of the 22-yard surface covered in sand and dirt.

The first delivery from a complacent Naveed-ul-Hasan was met by a massive swing from the blade of Dhoni. This sent out intent that he was ready for a fight. Although they didn’t realise it at the time, the batting partnership smelt extremely bad news for Pakistan. Why? Because here you had two players who simply loved Pakistani bowling. They loved it to such an extent that a bulk of their runs came from them.

It took a mighty effort from Inzamam-ul-Haq and his men to dismiss Dhoni and Sehwag. The former seemingly had an invincible belt draped around him. He was playing high risk, a world class bowling attack like Pakistan could not dismiss him. While the country had worship Sachin and the words “Sachin! Sachin!” had resonated right through the cricketing universe all over the billions of cricket-laden followers in the country, Dhoni seemed to be the best successor at the time.

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The result saw the Indians claim an impressive and simple victory. However, there would be many more present in the third ODI at Jamshedpur. They would be disappointed, but a new Indian star would be born.

There was a smirk on the face of Greg Chappell in the dressing sheds as he watched Dhoni simply tear apart the Pakistanis. There was just something about him that you couldn’t miss. He was relatable to. He batted like the boys on the street with their swag, aggressive stroke play, and semi-perfect technique. These lads suddenly had their voice. The helicopter shot is something I come across each day on my way to work. Only difference is that there is a different kid possibly between the ages of 7 and 12 brandishing it with the strings that cover the cracks on their bat. And just like that, they have hope. A voice. Belief (the most important thing I think).

In 2007, when he was appointed skipper after the disastrous World Cup in the West Indies, he was made skipper ahead of a few candidates. In addition, he led the side to the World T20 tournament, something that was simply staggering, given his tryst with captaincy at the time.

What happened after all that was simply history. That innings of 91 against Sri Lanka in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was a hallmark of Dhoni as a skipper, leader, and a legend. Even that expression when he smashed Nuwan Kulasekara for a six over long off was not just a signature shot. If one slows down the video and watches it frame by frame, one will notice that he waits for the ball to move across the fence before he starts celebrating. This is something brilliant. I really don’t know how else to put it.

The win in the ICC Champions Trophy, 2013 a few final and semi-final finishes in recent times, ups and downs, Dhoni has seen it all. He was not a captain. He was THE captain.

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I can see him now. With his cap, stone-cold expression, and the shoulder shrug. I can see him coming out to bat. He holds his bat with both hands. The bat looks more like a piece of log. He is going to use it to brandish and dispatch the bowlers.

I can see the bowler as well. How his face sinks when Dhoni comes out to bat. I can also see the smile that only a bowler has when a world class batsman comes out to bat. The smile that says, “oh man! Gotta bowl to this fella now!”

Whether it was his shrug each time he got down to take his keeping stance. Whether it was his calmness when the chips were down. Whether it was the fact that he was a winner in the face of defeat and not a poor loser like most of the other players and skippers of the past. He looked amazing. He was the face. Not just for cricket, but for India. He looked amazing.

I would have ideally saved this if and when Dhoni retired, but I think this is just as good a time as any to share the sentiment. I think he is ready to bat under the more than capable Virat Kohli.