Mahendra Singh Dhoni turns 37 in July. He will celebrate the landmark in Bristol while India prepare to take on England in the third T20 International the following day.
His 38th birthday will also in all likelihood be celebrated in England — at the World Cup. But this is not about where the most experienced white-ball cricketer in the team gets his face plastered with cake. It points to an intriguing Indian “late style”, if you will.
The phrase is borrowed from the culture critic and intellectual Edward Said, who wrote, “Late style is what happens if art does not abdicate its rights in favour of reality.” Great players go against the grain as well as place themselves at the head of a trend.
Dhoni’s batting in the IPL has not been merely Dhoni-like (which is destructive enough), but occasionally beyond that. There have been glimpses of a super-Dhoni, showing that anticipation is as important for batsmen as it is for fielders. To get into position early and comfortably is the essence of all moving ball games, and Dhoni’s unhurried batsmanship at the IPL has been one of its highlights.
In one magical over from Trent Boult in the match against Delhi Daredevils, he hit two sixes, each of which deserves to be preserved in a museum for future generations (luckily, these things can be done easily now! A cricket museum with a section on specific shots — the cover drive, the helicopter swish and so on — is not impossible).
But back to that over. Fast bowler Boult from over the wicket would have been difficult enough to swing to the off side because of the angle. Dhoni went for the difficult, almost impossible alternative, in ideal position seemingly a split second before the ball was delivered. He struck flat, low and square — an unreasonable combination — for six. Then he got into position again as Boult pitched up and swung him over long on.
It was said of Sachin Tendulkar’s batting that he psyched the bowler into bowling where the batsman wanted him to. Dhoni did the same. That flat-bat six came with a message for the future; it was the future.
It is not uncommon for batsmen who began their careers as leading stroke-makers to finish as part of the supporting cast. Age converts the carefree into the careworn.
Rohan Kanhai is a good example of a batsman who began by inventing strokes against the best bowling and ended by playing “experienced” innings in the shadow of the next generation.
T20 has been demonstrating that there is no supporting cast. It is the haven of the risk-taker, rewarding the creative player, bowler or batsman. Experience often means that players are more aware of things in their own game that do not work, and are chary of taking chances.
T20 forces them to look into their dark sides, as it were. Players are trained not just to think outside the box, but to ignore the box altogether.
Edward Said was speaking of musicians and writers, but cricketers too have “late style”, as Dhoni is demonstrating today, and two greats — Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar — did earlier.
Gavaskar, who began his career as a generic name for batting technique, discovered late the joys of hooking fast bowlers; a ferocious attack on Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding featured in his 29th Test century. It took him just 94 deliveries, and was one of the fastest in the game’s history. This, from an opener who batted through 60 overs to make 36 not out in a World Cup match.
Tendulkar’s journey, though in the opposite direction, was no less dramatic. If Gavaskar found his responses within the tenets of orthodoxy, Tendulkar, no less orthodox for being a more attacking player, extended the reach of such orthodoxy. If Gavaskar became more aggressive — his sole century in one-day internationals came in his penultimate match, at the age of 38 — Tendulkar became less so, playing well within himself.
Tendulkar had a better ODI record after the age of 36, his average almost five runs per innings higher than his career average, and his strike rate superior by six. It was also after 36 that Tendulkar scored the first double century in the format in an innings so orthodox, so correct, that he appeared determined to prove that cricket did not need any more invented strokes!
The focus at the England-India series commencing next month would be on two unrelated events, one assured and the other hoped-for by Indian fans. These are England’s 1000th Test match, and the Indian captain Virat Kohli’s finally coming good there. Dhoni’s white ball efforts might be pushed into the background.
The World Cup, however, is a different matter, and there might be a call to “Do it for Dhoni” as his own team in 2011 did it for Tendulkar.
