On August 15, 2020, MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket and looking back at his 16 years with the Indian team, it’s safe to say he has revolutionized cricket in India like no one else. He led India to victory in the T20 World Cup (2007), World Cup (2011) and the Champions Trophy (2013), becoming the first-ever captain to win all three. He was also the first wicketkeeper to effect 100 stumpings in ODI cricket and is widely regarded as the best wicketkeepers of all time. Apart from this, he has led India to the top of the Test rankings numerous times and has captained CSK to 3 IPL Championships and 2 CLT20 Titles.
MS Dhoni isn’t known for his skill with the bat or his athleticism in the field, but it's his intangibles that make him great. His unparalleled game awareness, lightning-quick stumpings, running between the wickets, power-hitting, revolutionary decision making, and unorthodox playing style has changed the way cricket is played and perceived today. We will always know him as ‘captain cool’ and his ability to come alive under pressure.
In 2004, Dhoni came into an Indian team filled with batting talent (including Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, etc) but lacking success. The team had just lost the World Cup final against Australia, in miserable fashion, the previous year and were struggling to find consistency. On Dec 23, 2004, Dhoni made his ODI debut against Bangladesh and was run-out for a duck on his very first ball. After a string of poor performances, Dhoni finally found his mark with 148* in a Test Match against Pakistan, followed by 183* in an ODI against Sri Lanka. With consistent performances down the order, Dhoni became well known for his finishing and began climbing up the ranks within the Indian side.
In 2007, Dhoni’s career took a turn for the better when he was given the task of captaining India during the inaugural T20 World Cup of 2007. This decision, made following Rahul Dravid’s decision to step down from captaincy and India’s disastrous exit from the world, took everyone by surprise but, as we know today, changed Indian cricket forever. India went into the 2007 World Cup with a ‘young brigade’ led by long-haired Dhoni and the odds stacked against them. Big names like Tendulkar, Dravid, Zaheer Khan, etc, who craved for rest following a marathon tour of England, were excluded from the squad. However, the 2007 T20 World Cup turned out to be a roller coaster ride with a happy ending for Dhoni and all Indians alike.
The tournament brought out glimpses of Dhoni’s genius for the very first time. All his intangibles- decision making, performance under pressure, unorthodox mindset, etc, were introduced to the cricketing World. For example, during the famous bowl out against Pakistan (India’s second game of the group stage) Dhoni picked all part-timers, while Pakistan brought in all their frontline bowlers. As eyebrow-raising as it might have been at the time, Virender Sehwag bowled and hit, Yasir Arafat missed, Harbhajan Singh hit, Umar Gul missed, Robin Uthappa hit, Shahid Afridi missed, and the rest was history. The seemingly innocuous team continued to surprise as they thrashed England (Yuvraj Singh’s 6 sixers game) and defeated the mighty Aussies on their way to the finals. The final against Pakistan was a thriller that swung back and forth. With Pakistan needing 13 runs from the final over, Dhoni made another one of his game-changing decisions. He handed the ball to Joginder Sharma (instead of the experienced Harbhajan Singh) and the heavily questioned decision paid off. India won the inaugural T20 World Cup and Dhoni’s first-ever tournament as skipper was a success.
Following the T20 World Cup triumph, Dhoni was made ODI and Test captain. Once he took over the leadership, India was performing very well but Dhoni started to lose touch with the bat. From being a boundary clearing machine, Dhoni became an accumulated calculator, taking the game deep and then winning the war of attrition. He led India to a series of unbeaten Test runs, which helped them reach the top of the Test points table. As India continued to succeed on the field, Dhoni gathered more and more praise. Finally, in 2011 he achieved what so many Indian captains had failed to do for so long - win the ODI World Cup.
Throughout the 2011 World Cup, Dhoni struggled to get going with the bat, but once again he proved he was a player for the big moments. No Indian cricket fan will ever forget his unbeaten 91 along with the iconic World Cup-winning six against Sri Lanka in the final. I can still hear Ravi Sastri’s words echoing through my head-
'Dhoniii finishes off in style! A magnificent strike into the crowd. India lift the World Cup after 28 years. The party's started in the dressing room. And it’s an Indian captain, who’s been absolutely magnificent, in the night of the final.’
However, the World Cup glory didn’t last long as India suffered a poor run once again. They went through an 8 match losing streak in ODIs and lost the No.1 Test rank to England. Dhoni came under heavy scrutiny, but as always, he found a way to come back stronger.
A new look Indian side, led by Dhoni, redeemed themselves in emphatic fashion as they whitewashed Australia in the 2013 Gavaskar-Border series (becoming the first-ever Indian team to sweep the Aussies in a Test series). The winning momentum carried forward into the 2013 Champions Trophy as India ended up surging through the competition and lifting the trophy without even losing a single game. As mentioned earlier, this victory meant Dhoni was the first-ever captain to win the T20 World Cup (2007), World Cup (2011) and the Champions Trophy (2013). Dhoni’s name was etched into the history books and he became a Cricketing Legend if he wasn’t one already.
Unfortunately, he was unable to win any more trophies with India, as the T20 World Cups (2014, 2016), World Cup 2015 and Champions Trophy 2017 all ended up in disappointment, either in the finals or semi-finals. Nevertheless, Dhoni continued to impress us with his hard-hitting, witty decision making, fitness and, most of all, his composure and calm attitude. His presence changed the culture in the dressing room. He made fitness a priority, he mentored and developed a new generation of players and he changed the way the game was played. He taught us that 1s can be made into 2s, that one shouldn’t be afraid to think of the box, and that Ravi Ashwin can open the batting.
MS Dhoni is one of those players, whose trophy cabinet speaks for his career. He is calm, he is composed and he always played his part in his own quiet way. He brought with him a revolutionary approach to Cricket, became an Indian Legend and changed the game forever and for the better.
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