An open letter to MS Dhoni after stepping down as ODI and T20I captain

Dear Mahendra Singh Dhoni,

Honesty is almost unheard of in international sports. Perhaps it is to do with the athletes wanting to keep the allure of mysticism that surrounds competitive sports at the highest level or simply fear of being thought of as foolish, an honest remark is uncommon.

Perhaps it is this lack of honesty that made your decision to admit that you couldn’t finish games like you used to somewhat baffling to hear. We think of our athletes as nothing short of superheroes who have no weakness and even if they do show none of it.

The fact that you did and admitted that you wanted to bat at No.4 in ODIs showed just how much of a breath of fresh air you are and continue to be. And if that remark surprised many, another decision of yours has left your fans and critics alike in shock once again.

You did it again. Despite your incredible consistency on the field for India, your ability to announce things when it is least expected continues to amaze everyone. So perhaps we should have foreseen some of that after you announced you were going to step down from captaincy not too long after helping Jharkhand on their journey towards history.

Extra Cover: Who Said What: World reacts to MS Dhoni stepping down from ODI and T20I captaincy

At 35, while the timing of the decision is not surprising, the fact that there are just three more ODIs scheduled before the ICC Champions Trophy that will take place in England in June certainly means that it is one that will raise more than its fair share of eyebrows.

Yet so long as there are fans there will also be detractors and nobody can deny the contribution that you have made to Indian cricket as a captain. The mere numbers almost beggar belief and it will certainly take everyone a while before normality is restored.

Recounting the amount of times that you have made the nation proud will simply take too long and I won’t even take the time to attempt to do that. But more than the trophies, the record-breaking wins, whitewashes, one thing that will be etched long in the memories of every Indian fan will be the winning mentality that you brought to the team.

India might go on to become a better team under your successor, which looks like it is going to be Virat Kohli, but nothing can take away all that you have achieved as a captain of India in limited-overs.

Whether it was finishing games with remarkable consistency, having a poker face that showed no signs of whether India were winning or losing, your desire to put the team ahead of everything else was almost as refreshing as your honesty in press conferences whether it was after victory or defeat.

Perhaps now is the best time for India to see the best of MS Dhoni, the batsman

An air of honesty has always surrounded everything you have done in your career. Whether it was batting at the trickiest position (No.5 and No.6) in ODIs for the majority of your career when you were good enough to bat higher up the order or just speak your mind without worrying too much about being politically correct.

But if you were being honest with yourself, even you would admit that you haven’t done justice to your skills as a batsman. While being captain meant that putting the team’s needs above yours was important, despite all the last-ball finishes and sixes to win the games, your repertoire of skills as a batsman wasn’t fully tested.

While you dallied with batting up the order earlier in your career, that thought itself became a non-starter as your career progressed and you started thinking about your team and how that could benefit from your batting rather than looking at how your batting would benefit the team.

And while I may never get over the fact that you will no longer be at press conferences and your cheeky smiles and tongue in cheek responses will be a thing of the past and the armband will never be on you while playing for India, there is just one thing that a fan, every fan of yours and the Indian team wants to see.

With an average of 82.75 at No.3 and 58.23 at No.4, both at a strike rate in excess of 90, it is a pity that you haven’t been able to bat up the order a lot more. Now that Virat Kohli has cemented the No.3 spot and captaincy will no longer burden you, everyone, including this fan, will be hoping that you make the No.4 spot your own.

And that is not just because everyone wants to see you bat but also because in the current side, there is no better middle-order batsman than you. While your entire career was built on finishing games and those big sixes, rotating the strike was always an integral part of your arsenal and that hasn’t waned just yet.

There can be little doubt that despite being 35, there isn’t a player who is quicker between the wickets than you are. Your ability to rotate strike and go big at the end when you are set makes you an invaluable asset to the middle-order and one that we hope to see more of, before you eventually call it a day.

And for all that you have given to Indian cricket, you owe it to yourself to give your batting another chance to shine at No.4. And that is the one humble wish that this fan hopes you will fulfil before the inevitable end arrives.

- An Indian fan who wants the country to see the best of Dhoni