What if India lost the match on Sunday? It was not the first of many forgettable days on the cricket field. The team has seen more worse moments when confronted with a seaming and swinging cricket ball. A silver lining in the huge loss was that M.S. Dhoni was the top-scorer of the match. And this statistic matters.
On a pitch where the ball was scheming, darting, asking questions of the man at the crease, Dhoni made the most runs in either team — 65 to be precise. On a pitch where future hopefuls of Indian cricket came a cropper, the veteran was an exceptional performer. A senior statesman of world cricket, Dhoni is an epitome of self-belief.
The charisma that he radiates on the field has been acquired through some sensational exploits.. We saw a glimpse of it at the HPCA Stadium. When others were perishing embarrassingly, he was busy making runs, assured and unruffled, not once betraying his emotions at lack of support.
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He could not win the game for India against Sri Lanka. But Dhoni, the eternal optimist in this team, won the hearts of fans and detractors alike with his commitment — the commitment to serve the team to the best of his capacity. Dhoni gives respect to earn respect. His arrival is greeted by deafening applause and departure with a collective and mournful sigh from the galleries. Such is his incredible aura.
They don’t want him to be part of India’s T20 scheme. They also question his place in the one-day team; this after he voluntarily vacated the Test slot and handed the captaincy to Virat Kohli because he didn’t want to be a burden. Someone who has consistently borne the weight of the team can’t be a burden.
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Dhoni, 36, continues to be part of India’s 2019 World Cup plans and this performance celebrated his longevity in a brilliant manner. Some of his contemporaries are part of the support-staff and some in the commentators box. Dhoni continues to thrive on the field and the top score was his way of emphasising that he belonged to the stage.
His reflexes may have slackened a bit. His shots may lack the punch that he once possessed. But not his panache to make a statement, to leave a mark in trademark fashion. He can outpace any team member when stealing the ones and twos from under the nose of the swiftest of fielders. He is the best athlete in the team after Kohli. The dreaded yo-yo test is hardly a challenge for Dhoni.
The knock in distressing times was a reminder that Dhoni is an important and integral segment of India’s one-day team, walking in at No. 6. True, he had a few escapes when the edges didn’t carry or whizzed miraculously past the stumps. Haven’t some of the greatest batsmen in history needed luck when amassing big scores.
Dhoni is driven by passion — after 310 ODI matches he is 109 short of the 10000-run peak. Negligible back lift, measured footwork, daring at times as he stepped out to the fast bowlers was the quintessential Dhoni the fans enjoyed on a sunny Sunday.
So many times we have seen him bat out the over, protect his partner, refuse single off the first ball but steal one off the last in quest of a victory. That is Dhoni. He loves it. The team needs him. The captain needs him even more. So do the fans. No wonder, he is the most-sought-after player by any franchise.
The M.S. Dhoni journey continues.