World Cup 2019: MS Dhoni nostalgia could steal the show

Intriguing narratives and questions surround this year's ICC Cricket World Cup. Can England, the No.1 ODI team in the world, finally break their jinx and become world champions at home?

Can David Warner and Steve Smith shed the tentacles of stigma and help a resurgent Australia launch a successful title defense? Can West Indies, whose players look in stupendous form, regain their dominance of the world game against all odds?

Can Pakistan, with their backs to the wall, regain the viciousness that gave them a shock Champions Trophy win on the same soil?

Or will South Africa, finally free of the eternal favorites tag, stop choking on the biggest stage? Will New Zealand go one step further than last time? Can Virat Kohli's captaincy claim the ultimate vindication by lifting the world title?

However, as with all big events, the emotional connect that fans feel with a sport transcends mere calculations of victors and losers. They are engendered by the love, affection, and indeed devotion that they have garnered over the years and reach the pinnacle of poignancy at the moment of their imminent departure.

One such individual is Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who might well be playing his last World Cup in England and Wales.

The man, the myth, the legend

Apocryphal tales tell us that Dhoni, then a Railways employee, had watched the 2003 World Cup on television as former teammates and rivals such as Yuvraj Singh played it out at the center.

Thereafter, his ascendance has been the stuff of legends and requires little recounting. Dhoni, the proverbial outsider, rose to the top of the Indian cricket echelons, leading the team to unforgettable triumphs in the 2007 ICC World T20 and the 2011 World Cup, making the helicopter shot an indelible part of global cricket jargon along the way.

For years, he has been the magnet around which Indian cricket has evolved. His canny, often unconventional but supremely successful, approach to captaincy, his devastating shot-making and his evolution as a wicket-keeper, have won him legions of fans worldwide and made him the nation's darling.

His legendary status has not only been secured by his remarkable exploits with India and Chennai Super Kings, but also because of his astute and sometimes shocking decision-making that is delivered without any prior notice; be it his tough call to drop the larger-than-life personas of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from the ODI team or his astounding call to suddenly retire from the Test game.

He has been winding up

Dhoni has always been a great planner and has been slowly winding up his international career. He has already handed over the captaincy reins to Kohli and looks to have planned his exit perfectly, timing it with the World Cup as his swansong.

However, as he quashed all recent suggestions of slow batting and blazed his way to a century against Bangladesh last night, one wonders if he is at all finished and whether Indian cricket still requires his majestic willow and cricketing brain even with Rishabh Pant knocking at the door.

Captain cool

One reason why fans are crazy about MSD is his unique attitude that mixes calm with calculated aggression and carries his characteristic quirks. The same was on display last night when he suddenly stopped a Bangladeshi bowler mid-stride to adjust the field, a move that quickly became meme material.

Fitting farewell

His admirers sang paeans on social media following last night's blazing knock and if he indeed decides to hang up his boots post the Cup, the 2019 edition could become a nostalgic and memorable MSD show that transcends all other narratives, even with other stars such as Chris Gayle playing in their last World Cup as well.

India would love to win the competition for the man who is a true modern great of the game, someone who gave us indelible memories such as the winning six in Wankhede in 2011 that secured India their second World Cup.

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