Opinion: Why it's time for Dhoni to return to his former self

It was the 5th of April 2005. India were taking on arch-rivals Pakistan in an ODI match at Vishakhapatnam and, at the fall of the first Indian wicket, in walked a 23-year-old man with a long mane of hair. He looked more like a Bollywood actor or a rock band guitarist, but he had walked out to the middle with a bat in his hand. And on that day, something revolutionary happened in Indian cricket.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni pulverized the opposition with a brutal swagger and left the crowd in a daze. He scored a sparkling 148, embellishing the sky with his willow.

Dhoni did not possess the genius of a Sachin Tendulkar, the solidity of a Rahul Dravid, nor the artistry of a VVS Laxman. Yet, he had the X factor and a unique flamboyance that appealed to the eye. He batted in a manner that defied the coaching manual, and more importantly, he batted in a manner only he can.

Times have changed

Fourteen years have elapsed since that day. And we still have Dhoni around, battling for the country. He is now a far cry from the batsman he once was. He is now nudging and prodding and fighting his way to runs. He is now almost 38 and playing his fourth World Cup.

Dhoni is regarded as one of the best finishers in limited overs cricket, and is expected to take his side past the finish line. So, the same Dhoni who would have smashed the last ball of an over for six, is now taking a single to shield his partner. Responsibility has curtailed him, and has imposed limitations on him.

But then, who was the Dhoni that India fell in love with?

Wasn’t it that Dhoni who just walked out briskly and clobbered the bowlers around without any sense of limitation? Wasn’t he like the bird that set flight and made us believe that we had wings too? Dhoni is now a changed man, and more importantly, a changed batsman.

He now gives respect to the bowlers and is more circumspect. And therein lies the fundamental difference. The Dhoni of old would have bent the situation to suit his next move, but the Dhoni of now allows the situation to dictate his next move.

Back to the past

And as MSD enters the last phase of his remarkable career, it is time for him to revert to his old self. Shouldn’t life come full circle?

It is time for Dhoni to break the limitations that he has imposed upon himself and become that carefree bird once again. For, when he does that, he will set our hearts racing, will let us dream once again and take us to those exalted places only he is capable of.