Surprisingly, the relation of MS Dhoni with his fans is pretty inconsistent as this fan-cricketer relation has seen also the shades of human emotion.
Team India’s memorable victory against Sri Lanka in the second ODI of the five-match series added yet another dimension to this strange relationship. In spite of registering two hundred-run partnerships, India found it difficult to chase down 231 runs in a rain-affected game of 47 overs. Along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar Dhoni helped India to cross over the line.
However, four years ago, the probability of India chasing such target with Dhoni at the crease wasn’t even an inch doubtful. Today, the same faith comes only after clearing a heavy cloud of doubt.
The final of the Champions Trophy can also be recalled when India suffered a 180-run loss against arch-rivals Pakistan. Kohli and Dhoni failed on the same day, which is pretty rare to see. There are truly no words to define India’s out-of-character and disorganized performance that day. However, Dhoni once said, “I wouldn’t count it as a bad performance. It was so bad that I can’t count it as a performance.”
Another recent incident when Dhoni failed to close out was the fourth ODI against the Windies last month. His innings of 54 off 114 balls was so bizarre that due to the same his career went into deep voids of speculation. Truly, that could possibly be the worst innings of his life.
Despite the flamboyant win, nothing was special about his knock on Thursday. It was simple, serious and straightforward. It was just plain Dhoni, coming onto the field to do what he has done match after match. It was him that made the innings special.
Before the game, his spot in the team was under scrutiny, even was alleged to have lost his touch permanently, along with his form. However, during the innings, he was seen running viciously between the wickets and kept steadying the ship he not long ago captained. However, fate chose his side on that day at once instance bowl crawled down to the stumps but bails didn’t come off.
Every time Dhoni snatches victory from the jaws of defeat, the Indian cricket fan flowed with excitement. Despite the fact that Mahi isn’t the same finisher anymore, the tactical strength he brings out on the table is still unmatched.
With youngsters like Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav doing the finishing job more often than not then Team India might not need Dhoni, the finisher. However, Indian fan might not ready to digest that fact as they want a superstar who makes him believe in magic.
However, Dhoni once said, “Till a full stop doesn’t come, the sentence is not complete.”
