Not me, not you, not anyone can question MS Dhoni's place in a side

The human mind is a slave to consistency. It favours steadiness over change.

Strangely though, the equation between the Indian cricket fan and its most successful captain has never been consistent. It is probably the only fan-cricketer relationship that has encompassed the entire spectrum of human emotion.

Today, yet again, the fan does not know where MS Dhoni stands in his books. Books, that for all intents and purposes, adorn the shelves of armchair experts.

India's topsy-turvy win against Sri Lanka in the second game of the five-match ODI series added yet another dimension to this bizarre relationship.

In spite of registering two hundred-run stands, India barely managed the 231-run target in their rain-curtailed, 47-over innings win. Collaborating with Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a memorable 8th wicket stand, Dhoni scripted yet another clinical finish to an Indian chase.

Let's relive his innings and the setting under which it bloomed.

India was reeling at 118-4 when the former Indian captain made his way to the middle. A few years ago, the probability of India chasing this target with Dhoni at the crease wouldn't have warranted a speck of doubt. Today, the same faith comes only after clearing a cloud of doubt.

The final of the Champions Trophy flashed before the Indian fan's eyes, where India succumbed to a 180-run loss against arch-rivals Pakistan. Kohli couldn't do a thing, Dhoni couldn't make a difference. There are truly no words to define India's out-of-character and shambolic show that day. However....

As 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."

The 36-year-old took guard against a suddenly spurred Sri Lankan attack with a heavy willow and a simple cap. With critics clawing down his throat and beseeching for "practicality" in team selection, he started going about his business without a care about their words.

The words were all that remained when Dhoni failed to close out the fourth ODI against West Indies last month. His innings of 54 off 114 balls was a nightmare that plunged his career into deep voids of speculation. Truly, it couldn't get any worse for the right-handed batsman. However...

As Dhoni once said...

"When you die, you die. You don't think which is the better way to die"

Dhoni and Kumar: calm and collected!

When Kumar joined Dhoni in the middle, India had lost seven wickets for 22 runs and were staring down the barrel of yet another batting collapse. Sri Lanka's leg/off spinner (?) was weaving magic on the field with four out of his six victims having fallen to the wrong'un.

Dhoni not only had to preserve his wicket but also make sure Kumar didn't throw his away. These two things that were expected of him stemmed from his biggest strengths as a cricketer: his calm head and his timeless man management skills.

The spectators were against him, the momentum was against him, the media was breathing fire and even some of his staunchest fans were having doubts. However, the one thing that was for him suppressed the cornucopia around him.

As Dhoni once said,

"You don't play for the crowd, you play for the country.... I am on national duty, everything else can wait."

As Dhoni kept guiding Kumar from the other end, the seamer went on to play his best knock in international cricket. The two people in the Indian ODI side that could and would stay calm through a raging storm were carrying the baton, and it looked like they were rallying the team to a victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.

Sounds like a perfect setting for an MSD special, doesn't it? However, nothing was special about his knock yesterday. It was simple, serious and straightforward. He hit just one four throughout, looking to get to the target any possible way. It was just plain Dhoni, coming onto the field to do what he does over after over, match after match. It was him that made the innings special.

Here was a man whose spot in the team was subject to scrutiny, according to the chairman of selectors. Here was a man who was being vilified for not being able to justify his role in the side anymore. Here was a man who has allegedly lost his touch permanently, along with his form. However...

As Dhoni once said,

"Nobody has seen form. It's a state of mind where you are confident and you think very positive."

The 36-year-old (really?) ran like a pronghorn between the wickets and kept steadying the ship he not long ago captained. It could have all gone down the chute anyway had Dhoni's bails fallen off when the ball took the inside edge of his bat and hit the stumps, with him batting on 29*

However, fate chose his side.

Sometimes, a little speck of fortune goes a long way towards eradicating a blitzkrieg of misfortune. Will that minute contact between three wooden sticks and two blocks of timber over them lay the genesis for the Indian captain batsman's resurgence?

Dhoni so calm, even the bails don't move around him. #SLvIND

— Samreen (@SamreenRazzaqui) August 24, 2017

His body language looked relaxed like always and his face didn't give anything away even today. As far as his batting style goes, it's better not to comment on the idiosyncrasies that are beyond the realm of human understanding!

As Dhoni once said,

"Frankly, I am quite bad at analysing technique. You have seen my technique. You know."

The human mind is a slave to consistency.

The human ego is an evil alteration of its mind itself. It feeds off victories and suffers in defeats.

Every time Dhoni turned a loss into a victory, the Indian cricket fan let go of his/her frustration. Every time Dhoni made a mockery of an improbable chase, the Indian cricket fan surged with exhilaration. Every time Dhoni deposited that last delivery into the stand, the Indian cricket fan lived vicariously off his success.

Dhoni is not the same finisher anymore. However, he's still a veteran who adds immense physical and tactical depth to the team. He still stands tall amongst his teammates, taller amongst his contemporaries.

With youngsters like Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav knitting a name for themselves, India might not need Dhoni, the finisher. The Indian cricket fan isn't ready to let go though. He does not want a veteran who is part of a mundane process, he wants a superstar who makes him believe in magic.

As Dhoni once said,

"Till a full stop doesn't come, the sentence is not complete."