Cricket is a
funny game. Famous quote that ‘the game is a great leveller’ isn’t an understatement.
Statistics play a vital role in the game, probably more than they do in any
other sport. Sooner or later, the perennial ‘law of averages’ catches up with
the best of the best in the sport. No one is spared, ironically, not even the
greatest of them all, Sir Don Bradman. And along with these averages, the age
of a player also catches up with him. The skills don’t leave a sportsperson,
but his reflexes, agility and physical and mental strength definitely become
weaker with time. It is unrealistic and foolhardy not to expect that. The case of
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is also not any different.
After the
T20I series loss to South Africa, all the pressure was on Team India, even more
on its already burdened captain. His bat has not fired in recent times the way
we are used to it. The team’s performance has also been not too good in the
limited overs format under him since the World Cup. On top of that, the historic
series win in Sri Lanka under young gun Kohli has put Dhoni under more scrutiny,
which is kind of implausible rather than sardonic, given the simple fact that
we are talking about arguably one of India’s greatest captain, at least
statistically (given that I am also a die hard dada fan). The point is not to
compare Sourav’s and MSD’s captaincy records or any other captain’s for that
matter, it is about the incredible and often improbable set of expectations that we have from our players.
The stage
was set for MSD at Kanpur in the 1st ODI. Last over, 11 runs to get,
and a relatively new fast bowler in front of him. It all seemed far too
familiar. Flashback to 2013, MSD scored 15 runs off the last over against Sri
Lanka in the tri-series in West Indies, that too with 2 balls to spare. The various
seasons of IPL had made us to react nonchalantly in such situations. Such has
been the prowess of the master of the helicopter shot. But not this time.
Rabada bowled a super over, Dhoni’s helicopter didn’t take off and India lost
by 5 runs. Suddenly all that everyone could remember were those close losses to
New Zealand and England in the T20 games in previous seasons.
The news
channels were ready with their bites of India’s so called ‘shameful defeat’ of
5 runs and Dhoni copped all the flack for it. Even the commentators were at it.
Whether Dhoni’s age is catching up with him, whether his reflexes are waning,
whether India needs to find a new finisher and all those things. That is the
funny thing in India. It is all a matter of 1 hit. We all can only speculate
how prolonged would have been Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s career, had he not hit the
winning shot against Pakistan in the Independence cup final in 1998. Had Dhoni
connected a hit for a six and India had won, nothing would have been wrong with
the world. But unfortunately for him, it was not to be.
I am glad
that Sunil Gavaskar brought up the important topic of comparing a player with
the same player in his prime. There is no way Dhoni of 2015 can be compared
with the swashbuckling, carefree boy with a long mane of 10 years ago. Dhoni
had started his role as finisher in ODI cricket back in 2006, with his
scintillating knocks in Pakistan. His knocks of 72*(46) at Lahore and 77*(56)
at Karachi were instrumental in helping India chase down those big totals and
win the series. Since then, it has been a routine for him to finish off matches
for India. Not only that, he had to don the hat of the captain as well as take
the role of the wicketkeeper also. And more often than not, Dhoni has come out
on the winning side of such tight situations.
According to
me, the worst part for him is to face the questions after each such defeat and
answer a barrage of questions, when all he can answer is to improve the death
bowling and not to lose wickets in a heap while batting. Being the captain of
India is just like having a crown full of thorns on your head. I am sure it
must be really frustrating for him to hear that he is unable to deliver the
goods any longer, when he has done it for past so many years and matches. He is
counted in the same league as Michael Bevan for being the best finisher in the
world for a reason.
Let’s face
it – all days will not be the same. Even the mighty Aussies have tasted defeats
in recent times and it would be an even bitter pill for them to swallow, as
they are not accustomed to it. I am not defending MSD here. Every player has a
shelf life. His time will also be up, and he will be the wiser more than anyone
to know it. But the fact also remains that he has taken the maximum load, been
in the most pressure situations and come out on top more often than not. We
should be happy that here is a captain who is willing to create an able
replacement for himself before he hangs up his boots. It is not about whether
Dhoni should play at number four or remain as a finisher; it is about do we
have a better replacement than him to be a finisher. Dhoni took to the finisher
role like a fish takes to water, and did more than a good job all these years. As
Ravi Shastri also said, now it is time, we let him enjoy his cricket. And one
cannot argue that there is any lack of commitment or fitness on part of Dhoni.
I come from Kanpur and am fully aware of the energy sapping heat there. Dhoni
hit just one four in his innings of 31 in the first ODI. One could see him
giving it his all, huffing and puffing after running those twos and quick
singles, despite being concerned with his hamstring. I doubt if any other
player would have had that stamina after keeping the stumps also in the first
innings.
Sometimes I
feel have I lost my love for cricket, because around me, I still see those casual
fans, who criticise every loss that India takes and come up with their own
analysis and reasons for the loss. In recent times, I have stopped having that
feeling of anguish and frustration that I used to have when I used to watch the
match the full day and India would lose such close encounters. I asked myself –
has my love for the game dwindled just like Dhoni’s reflexes? Pat came the
reply – no, I have evolved as a cricket lover than being an ardent Team India
supporter! Sure, still feel tad bad for our team when it is an off day for us,
but the joy of watching some exciting cricket and appreciating the skills of
the players on display is something which was not there in my younger days. And
I don’t blame those who don’t feel like I do now, many of them might not have
had the chance to play in scorching heat, give it their best and still end up
on the losing side. It’s days like those, which make you appreciate the game
even more and enjoy each and every win with more satisfaction. I believe we should
enjoy each and every remaining contribution of MSD with the same joy.
DHCF Nishant Raizaday for diehardcricketfans
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