200 games in as CSK's IPL captain, and DhoniMania is still running wild

MS Dhoni. Quite often, that one word is enough to evoke an ocean of emotions in Chennai. Lovingly called Thala, the Chennai Super Kings captain has, more often than not, done things that would have been scarcely believable, unless of course, you had the privilege to witness it.

April 12, 2023 against the Rajasthan Royals was no different. For a change, CSK did not win at Chepauk. In an even greater surprise, the former India captain and Ravindra Jadeja could not get the job done for their side.

While those two points, had CSK zipped them up in their kitty, would have been the source of plenty of happiness, the fact that thousands of fans, clad in yellow, were able to see Dhoni in the flesh, seemed just as joyous an occasion.

This article, just to make things clear, is not going to talk about how CSK perhaps left it a little too late. Or, about how their skipper’s explanation on being concerned about the net run-rate (NRR) did not quite feel right. It's also not about how they got into a situation where they were still depending on a captain who does not play any professional cricket apart from the IPL.

It is about celebrating Dhoni, Chennai and CSK, and while that happens almost every time CSK play a game at Chepauk, April 12 was special because it was also the 200th time the wicket-keeper was captaining the franchise in the IPL.

Oh, and for what it is worth, if you ever get a chance to get to Chennai, and somehow manage to get hold of a ticket, take that trip. Irrespective of whether it is another milestone occasion, you will not regret it.

As early as 2pm, there were people lining up to buy replicas of Dhoni’s CSK jersey. At 2pm – five and a half hours before the first ball was bowled, and almost four hours before the CSK team bus arrived at the stadium. And then, when the felicitation ceremony happened, a half-full crowd made it feel as if it was a packed house.

A few days ago in Mumbai, thousands of people lined up on Marine Drive, before and after the team bus entered/left the Wankhede Stadium, just so they could catch a sneak peek of the veteran.

As CSK inched towards a win, the crowd even began chanting “We want Dhoni”. And this was not even Chennai. This was the home of CSK’s arch-rivals Mumbai Indians. But if no one had told you, you would never have found out.

MS Dhoni nearly took CSK to victory against RR

Against the Rajasthan Royals, that was taken up a notch. CSK seemed dead and buried when 54 runs were needed off three overs. They were also up against Adam Zampa on a surface where scoring against spin was not easy. But then, Dhoni did what he does.

He sent the Chepauk crowd into an absolute frenzy by whacking that white-spherical object into the stands. At that stage, it seemed CSK had no business winning the game. Slowly but surely, though, the decibel of the chants started to increase.

Every single was then met with applause as if it was the match-winning run. Every attempted big shot was cheered as if it had flown into the Bay of Bengal. And when sixes were actually hit, it was utter pandemonium.

CSK, because of their struggles earlier in the innings, fell short. But not for one second did the thousands at Chepauk feel they were destined to lose. No prizes for guessing why that was, and who instigated that belief.

That perhaps sums Dhoni up, and why he will remain special, even long after he hangs up his boots.

India, because of how vast it is, will, of course, find a new superstar that they can get behind. In the 1990s and 2000s, it felt that no one could rival Sachin Tendulkar’s stardom. Virat Kohli’s fanbase, at the moment, is perhaps one that no cricketer might be able to outdo. Ever.

What is different about Dhoni is that he burst onto the scene out of nowhere, and then ruled the landscape as if he was always destined to. That dogged pursuit of what might seem a very wild dream is what most Indians relate to.

He was not earmarked for greatness in his teens; he did not lead India to U-19 World Cup victories. But one fine day, he arrived, made people believe and Indian cricket, sans him, was unthinkable thereafter.

Dhoni was the boy next door, whose story everyone felt was theirs, but whose tale they knew could never be recreated.

All of those things, even as Dhoni captained CSK for the 200th time in the IPL, seemed fresh and very relevant. He has been here multiple times before. The CSK fans have been here multiple times before. But on Wednesday, it was love/adulation/fascination at first sight all over again.

CSK might not have won, and their fortress might have been breached. Worst of all, Dhoni and Jadeja were at the crease, yet, they could not cross the finish line. That, though, only ties up into this beautiful narrative that accompanies Dhoni wherever he goes.

There was a time when his team never lost while he was there at the end. Now, at 41 years of age, the will to pull such rabbits out of the hat has not diminished. The results, though, show a more natural deviation.

No 41-year-old is supposed to crunch two low full tosses for flat sixes in the final over while chasing 21 for victory. But Dhoni did. No 41-year-old is supposed to win his team such a game. And Dhoni could not.

You see, mesmeric. But also human. Very much among the stars, but not far from the odd failure, just like you, me or the thousands that painted Chepauk yellow on Wednesday.