Just like that, MS Dhoni walks away from CSK captaincy 

Picture this: thousands of fans have assembled at the Wankhede Stadium, hoping to catch a glimpse of MS Dhoni and his beloved Chennai Super Kings. The defending champions are slated to play their opening fixture against the Kolkata Knight Riders, with many intrigued to see if Dhoni’s men can continue the momentum they generated a few months ago.

In between, there has been a mega auction – an auction where CSK have lost the services of Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood and Shardul Thakur. They have brought in a few replacements but they don’t have as star-studded a squad as previous seasons. But with Dhoni, they know they will always have a chance – irrespective of the circumstances, the conditions and the opposition.

As the clock ticks down to the toss, thousands at the stadium and millions across the globe wait with bated breath. It has nearly been six months since the former Indian skipper last strode out in CSK colours or played any kind of competitive cricket.

The toss, which hasn’t always been his greatest friend, is still a festive occasion for the fans, considering Dhoni is not going to feature for CSK forever. To everyone’s dismay, though, a cricketer wearing the No.8 jersey (Ravindra Jadeja) walks out for the toss, with Dhoni reminding him to believe and metaphorically assuring him that everything will be alright.

At first, a few in the crowd try pinching themselves. They rub their eyes, fervently rummage for the team sheets and then consign themselves to reality – reality that Dhoni, who has been as synonymous with CSK captaincy as the sun rising in the east, will no longer be at the helm.

Prima facie, it seems another impulsive decision made by a cricketer who really isn’t bound by conventional logic and wisdom. Many feel that this has come too close to CSK’s opening game and that it could hamper their preparations. To an extent, there is a bit of truth in it as well, considering it isn’t easy for a new IPL captain (even of Jadeja’s stature) to seamlessly slot into the role.

But there is some thinking behind it too – thinking that almost everyone does not seem to understand but something that Dhoni seems to have given plenty of thought to. It might seem nonsensical. But it makes sense. Just because it is Dhoni and CSK.

MS Dhoni has led CSK since IPL 2008

This, apart from having ramifications for the future, also has implications on how the past is perceived. As absurd as it may sound, CSK has become what it is largely because of its association with the wicket-keeper, and vice-versa. There is no Dhoni without CSK, and there is no CSK without him. And as the dust settles on him relinquishing captaincy, the former skipper must be remembered for everything that he brought to the table as a captain.

Back in 2008, the right-handed batter had only begun making waves as a captain in international cricket. He had a T20 World Cup title to show for his efforts but it was still viewed with scepticism, with some even suggesting it was a flash in the pan.

At CSK, though, he evolved into the leader both the franchise and the country craved. He went toe-to-toe with adversity countless times, put himself in the firing line more often than we can remember and told CSK to believe – believe that as long as he was there, anything and everything was possible.

In 2010, that perhaps reached a crescendo. In the first two seasons of the IPL, CSK had fallen short in the games that mattered. That trend seemed on course to repeat itself too, especially with CSK struggling to qualify. But then, that divine night in the foothills of the Himalayas (against Kings XI Punjab at Dharamshala) happened.

Dhoni, like he has often done in his storied career, walked into a hopeless situation and glittered it with hope. He stamped his authority and to an extent, stamped the franchise’s authority on the IPL too. They won the title that season and repeated the feat a season later, meaning that the CSK boom, which had been bubbling under the surface since 2008, finally exploded.

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CSK had to wait seven years before they laid their hands on the trophy again. They had to endure a two-year ban during that phase too – something that remains Dhoni and the franchise’s greatest nadir. Yet, when they returned to the fold, it felt as if they had never left.

It could have been very easy for them to have wilted under pressure, knowing that numerous individuals had labelled them the “Dad’s Army”. They had a decent squad but didn’t have many world-beaters. But they, like Dhoni always does, believed.

They nearly triumphed a year later too, only to see Lasith Malinga outfox Shardul Thakur in a manic final at Hyderabad. In 2020, they crashed out of the tournament and the swords were out again – some chomping for Dhoni’s resignation, some asking for CSK to revamp their ideology completely.

Thus, it was only fair for CSK to stick to almost a similar squad (they added Moeen, by the way), and win the title as convincingly as they have ever done. Post the 2020 campaign, Dhoni had remarked that CSK were known for coming back strong. Not many believed him. But he and the IPL team did. And that, as it has become so evident over the years, is all that matters in a competition such as the IPL.

Dhoni – the captain, meant a lot of things to a lot of different people. For the majority, he was the sounding board they could bounce their ideas off. For many, he was the mentor who got their career back on track. For almost all of them, though, he was just another individual.

He didn’t walk around like he owned the place (he could well have). He didn’t let anyone know from his mannerisms that he was the greatest Indian captain to have ever graced the sport. Or, didn’t let anyone feel that they were inferior to him while he was busy slaughtering bowlers into submission.

For the better part of a decade (or even more), CSK was, in many ways, all about Dhoni and what magic he could conjure in the most mundane of situations. But he never let that happen. For him, the team always came before the individual – a quality that seems to have shone through in his sudden but almost perfect decision to hand over the reins to Jadeja.

A discussion on that, however, is better left for another day. This article isn’t about what credentials Jadeja has or how far CSK can go this season. It is about the legacy Dhoni has left behind and how many (if any) have failed in that regard.

It will be quite strange not witnessing Dhoni waltz out for the toss – in his inimitable gazelle-like stride and with a ton of jokes and quirky opinions up his sleeve. It will be weird not watching him sheepishly dodge tricky questions and using his extraordinary wit to answer queries that are designed to spark controversy.

But hey, this has been Dhoni’s style all along, hasn’t it? He left the Indian Test captaincy without any pre-game buzz. He woke up on a fine morning in Nagpur and decided that he didn’t want the ODI captaincy anymore. He then arrived for a training session with CSK in August 2020 and quipped that people should consider him ‘retired’ henceforth.

Most of these calls sound impulsive and seem to be made by someone who just doesn’t care about what he does, even though his decisions have a bearing on how thousands feel and think about the sport. Yet, by relinquishing CSK captaincy now, Dhoni has only reiterated that he indeed cares.

He knows that he won’t be around forever. He also knows that Jadeja will not be in better form than he is at the moment. He also knows that throwing Jadeja into the deep end next season (or the one after) would have been wrong. So, a season as skipper for Jadeja, with Dhoni guiding him from behind the stumps, is the best possible outcome.

Not bad is it for someone who is supposed to be too instinctive and rushed in his decisions, is it?

In a nutshell, that explains Dhoni as much as any human can possibly do. No one, and absolutely no one, can decipher what this enigmatic individual has in mind. The closest you can is to say that he understands the importance of choosing the right moment to pass the baton.

It happened with India and Virat Kohli. It is now happening with CSK and Jadeja. The timing of his announcements might not seem very thoughtful. After all, who announces stepping down from captaincy just two days before a massive IPL fixture? But the timing always seems right.

So much so that you begin wondering if this has been Dhoni’s masterplan all along. And, that we, much like other mere mortals, have failed to understand it. Don’t worry, though. It isn’t the first time this has happened. And, it won’t be the last time it happens too.

It won’t materialize as often moving forward, considering he is well and truly in the twilight of his career. But when the time comes to make that decision too, Dhoni will walk away – just like that, leaving others awestruck, jaw-dropped, spell-bound and confused.

The telling bit, however, is that he will have it worked out and he will believe in it till the end of time. And, as he and his CSK have illustrated multiple times, that is all that matters.