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As India celebrates its 76th independence day, for cricketing fans, the occasion will also be known as the day when MS Dhoni bid farewell to international cricket. The former skipper made his last appearance for India at the 2019 ODI World Cup and ended his career on August 15, 2020, to end the myriad of speculations that were gathering strength day by day.
Dhoni featured for India across 90 Tests, 350 ODIs, and 98 T20Is since making his debut in 2004. The wicketkeeper-batter's career took a wild turn after he was appointed captain for the inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup, which India won. His status was elevated to near-immortality after the led the nation to the 2011 ODI World Cup as well as the 2013 Champions Trophy.
India had arguably moved on prior to his departure as he did not play international cricket post the 2019 ODI World Cup. There was no issue with the captaincy as he had relinquished control in 2017 itself. It was more about finding a wicketkeeper-batter and a finisher, but as far as his presence and wisdom are concerned, it is arguably irreplaceable.
While three years may not seem such a long period in the grand scheme of things, it is a huge deal in terms of the cricketing calendar and the pace at which the sport is changing.
The period from 2020 to 2023 has been defined in several ways, but let us take a look at some of the changes that have been positive.
#1 Bench strength
The requirement of the game nowadays demands a robust squad capable of dealing with any and all situations across formats. While teams have emphasized and worked on their bench strength, none of them matches Team India's work across the last few years.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has certainly played a huge part in it, but so has the strong India A and U-19 pipeline overseen by none other than Rahul Dravid. Team India have been able to flex their prowess with the ability to field multiple high-quality squads, something which they have had to do due to scheduling conflict.
A lot of youngsters who have made it to the senior squad in this timeframe have generally settled well and are on the lookout to cement their place in the coming transition period.
#2 Overseas performances
Overseas displays were one of the drawbacks of the MS Dhoni era, particularly in Tests. Since the legendary player's retirement, India's fortunes away from home have improved, particularly in the shortest format.
The Men in Blue have won bilateral affairs in New Zealand, England, and Australia in the recent past. While they have slacked in overseas ODIs of late, they still head into the first World Cup without Dhoni since 2007 as one of the favorites.
Since Dhoni's last T20I involvement, which came in a series loss against Australia in 2019, India have only lost two bilateral series in the space of four years. Both of which came with a second-string squad away from home.
#3 Attempting to embrace the modern brand of cricket
The biggest difference between cricket in 2020 and 2023 is the brand of cricket, especially in the white-ball formats. The change in the mentality arguably came forward with Eoin Morgan's ODI World Cup-winning team in 2019.
The policy of being aggressive from the word go has had a lasting impression, leading several teams to implement it, including India. While the Men in Blue have attempted to emulate it, they have not fully committed to it and have done so only in patches, and not when it actually mattered.
However, the initiative shown to embrace the change and the willingness to weave it into the squad is a positive that has been on show for quite a while. At the end of the day, it is the only realistic way to go forward, with the direction that cricket has taken.
There was not a demand for an aggressive brand of cricket in MS Dhoni's era, as much as it is now. That pivot might just be the biggest change that Indian cricket has witnessed in recent years.
What are some of the other things that have changed for the good since MS Dhoni's retirement in 2020? Let us know what you think.
