MS Dhoni breathes cricket yet will remain detached from it

In July 2019, MS Dhoni, synonymous with perhaps his entire international career, strode out into a cauldron of pressure at Old Trafford. At that stage, India found themselves engulfed by an almighty New Zealand onslaught and were staring at a humiliating defeat.

Dhoni, though, barely batted an eyelid and set out his stall, adopting the kind of Zen avatar that has defined his journey as an international cricketer. He rustically jabbed, prodded, slashed, and stabbed the ball into gaps, hoping for the sort of magical fairy tale he had become accustomed to scripting.

Unfortunately, that didn’t come to pass with the image of Martin Guptill’s run out being etched in Indian cricketing folklore. More tellingly, the dismissal, which came when India were on the brink (probably) of one of their greatest World Cup victories, also induced a few tears from the great man.

Lest one forgets, this individual was MS Dhoni – a cricketer who has transformed the way the game is played while also changing the manner in which it needs to be played. Above all, that tempestuous evening in Manchester portrayed that Dhoni, in contrast to common notions, was, in fact, human – a person who was captured by the ebbs and flows the glorious sport of cricket has to offer.

Dhoni announced his international retirement in August 2020

Incidentally, that remains Dhoni’s final appearance in an India shirt, with him announcing his international retirement on 15th August 2020. The more interesting bit, though, is that during his hiatus between July 2019 and August 2020, when he was still eligible to play for the country but didn’t do so (by choice), he pursued newer pastures (read joining the armed forces for a stint) and rekindled old love (just staying back at home and being the pre-2004 version of himself).

Meanwhile, the wicket-keeper has continued walking into his cricketing twilight, with his Chennai Super Kings stint acting as the elusive beam of light. And with him turning 40 today, there is also a feeling of inevitability that Dhoni would, one day, detach himself from cricket altogether, which for a cricketer who has breathed cricket and been the beacon for Indian cricket for the past couple of decades, seems a little counter-intuitive.

However, there is enough reason to suggest that it could be a reality the Indian cricketing fraternity would have to come to grips with. Not just because that is how the laws of nature work sometimes, but also because Dhoni seems to have mastered the art of staying in a bubble yet not be encapsulated by it completely.

Over the years, the CSK captain has been pretty vocal in wanting to handle the crests and troughs equally – something that probably explains how he has remained equanimous. He was calm in the delirious aftermath of the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. However, he was just as composed when India lost gut-wrenching semi-finals at the 2015 and 2019 CWC.

Apart from the aforementioned, Dhoni just comes across as an individual who is content at having lived the life billions of others desire (sans the pressure, obviously). Additionally, the wicket-keeper is a firm believer in wanting the next generation to take care of itself, having moulded several of those cricketers, including Ravindra Jadeja, Rohit Sharma, and of course, Virat Kohli.

Happy birthday skip 💙🇮🇳 @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/ydUQXb7ZzK

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) July 7, 2021

In simpler terms, he doesn’t want his shadow hanging over the team, for if Dhoni is part of any coaching regime, one can be rest assured that a major chunk of attention will be trained on him. And that, especially in clutch circumstances, is a situation any of these players could do without.

As far as romantic narratives are concerned, there is a significant indicator in Dhoni’s retirement video, which, for the uninitiated, was uploaded on Instagram. In MS Dhoni-esque style, there was no fanfare or glorified sparring session to mark an end to his international career. Instead, it was just a concession that his time was up, much like countless greats before him and that the others needed to take up the mantle now.

Dhoni is set to lead CSK in the remainder of IPL 2021

On the CSK front, things could be a little different, considering he has shaped an entire generation of the franchise’s fans. Often revered as the “Thala”, which translated into English spells the same as a supreme leader, CSK might find it tough not to have Dhoni in the scheme of things.

Having said that, that would perhaps be the last conversation CSK officials would want to indulge in, for Dhoni is still a playing asset and also because he doesn’t think too far ahead anyway. Yet, it wouldn’t be a massive surprise if the wicket-keeper ambles into the CSK sunset without any fuss and then quick-wittedly quips “definitely not” when asked if he wants to be a part of the coaching regime.

MS Dhoni (L) will lead CSK in the remainder of IPL 2021

Though the inclination then could be to term Dhoni as someone not being obsessed with the sport, there is hardly any merit in supporting that particular argument.

For starters, it takes a fairly passionate person to endure the kind of lows he has done, especially as the Indian skipper. And then there is also the small matter of him showing umpteen times that he cares, both with his on-field charisma and with his off-field mentoring.

To that end, Dhoni might still be around if any cricketer wants to seek advice, and as numerous contemporaries have quoted, his door would always be open for a quick dialogue, irrespective of whether it revolves around cricket or not.

That, though, won’t necessarily translate into a coaching role or a commentary stint, for he just doesn’t seem that sort of a character. Even though it seems a role perfectly shoehorned for Dhoni, considering the leadership attributes he possesses, it might not be something he wants to actively pursue.

Maybe he feels a little exhausted having led India with distinction across all formats. Or maybe he wants to live quietly and peacefully, having seen even the minutest aspect of his life scrutinized for the better part of two decades.

Or, rather simply, he just feels the stage is now set for better “shaayars” (performers) to take over. To be fair to Dhoni, not many would blame him, especially after carrying a billion hopes each time he took the field.

As always, though, MS Dhoni would continue breathing cricket. It’s just that he will also find a way to remain detached from it. And, in a country that has alternated between immortalizing cricketers and then immolating their effigies, that could perhaps be Dhoni’s greatest legacy too.

He is human, make no mistake about it. Yet, he remains an enigma. And would, in all likelihood, always remain one.