MS Dhoni - TRIBUTE TO THALA! How did I fall in love with the game seeing this Man Play?

Cricket is an emotion in India. Almost 90% of us follow Cricket regularly and they can feel the emotions attached to it. The rest 10% of us somewhat associate ourselves with considering it something more than just a game. I would like to have myself in this category of fans. Today, through this writing, I would like to recall my journey as an ICT fan and how it all started with idolizing the Man himself, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

What was my first interaction with the Game of Cricket?

As far as I can recall, It was an India-Pakistan game being watched by one of my relatives at their place and India was playing in the same Jersey in which they had won the WT20 2007 in South Africa. It could have been that famous Bowl Out game played in Durban, but I’m not Sure. I don’t exactly remember my emotions upon seeing that game and how I kept on following the game with a keen interest as a 7-8-year-old. I still remember how I got more attached to the Game from the monthly Magazine that was very famous at that time - Cricket Samrat.

How my love for the Game grew in my Childhood?

It could not have been possible without HONEY, one of my first few friends at a tender age when I didn’t even use to understand what being a FRIEND MEAN. I started discussing everything related to the game with him when we started staying more together after shifting to a Senior Wing. On being asked Who’s MY FAVOURITE CRICKETER? - I said DHONI, probably because at that time he had been named Captain of all three formats and I could catch a glimpse of him only whenever I used to get the opportunity to watch him on TV! HONEY’s favourite Cricketer was Yuvraj Singh and I even shared one of the posters of him hitting Six Sixes to Stuart Broad for Rs 5. My first earning, haha. This happened during when we were in Class 1 or 2. I even remember Flintoff bowling for CSK in one of the matches in IPL 2009. That’s how I started my journey of having Dhoni as my favorite Cricketer among my Peers.

Cricket World Cup 2011

It was my first World Cup which I had been following as a 9-year-old, I couldn't watch every ball and I was even having my class's 3rd final exams around the corner when the World Cup started. I remember how Nishant Mama was checking the scorecard of the India-England Match on his Keypad Phone. My World Cup Started when I had the chance to visit Nani. I watched India Vs West Indies completely on DD National. Electricity Cuts were very frequent at that time and without the Internet, Screening on a Projector with a Generator proved Crucial in the Quarter Final Match at Motera against Australia. I was in Paharpur when I watched that India Vs Pakistan game at Mohali, again on a Big Screen with a Jugadu Method. Now, we don’t see such Screening frequently because of the easy access to the Internet in almost every household. This World Cup made me the Cricket Fan that is inside me today. That SIX FROM MS DHONI that sealed the Cup for us at Wankhede on 2nd April 2011 made me a proud fan now. I was too young at that time as a Fan to understand all the emotions of a World Cup win. I didn’t celebrate as hard as ones who would have understood the true essence of this Victory.

Post CWC 2011

CSK won the IPL 2024 as well and it felt as if Mahi and I were having a dream time. But it then turned into a not-so-good time when we shifted to Red Ball, 0-4 thrashing in England and Australia proved a taint on MS’s Captaincy Stint and everyone was criticizing him for not letting his team down with defensive strategies. And, we even lost to England at Home after winning the first test convincingly in 2012. It was evident that MS was struggling as a Captain in Whites. He used to get the results for us at Home Tests, but, this time we lost a series at Home as well.

2013 - A Mixed year for MS

After losing 0-4 to England and Australia at their Home, plus having to England at Home too, a lot of questions were being asked to him as well about his Captaincy in Tests. Australia was to play 4 match test series in India with the first match set to be played in Chennai. MS set the series going with his Career Best 204 in the Second Innings involved a crucial 8th Wicket Partnership with Bhuvi. R Ashwin was in top-notch form throughout the series along with Ravindra Jadeja. I remember this much about the series because we used to fight for that one Cricket Samrat in that weekly Library period in School. I can recall articles about the series from the same magazine. India managed to rout Australia 4-0 in a mostly one-sided affair wherein we witnessed Aussie batters succumb to Indian Spinners.

And, then Came the most unimaginable claim on MS’s image when Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings were accused of Spot Fixing Claims, and Dhoni’s name was also being dragged into the matter. He was lot of questions asked to him by Journalists when he was with the Team for the Champions Trophy in England. He kept negating all the questions and became the first Captain of the game to have won all 3 ICC TROPHIES on 23rd June 2013. That decision to open with Rohit Sharma made him the player that he is today. Amidst all the critical questioning of his integrity with the game after his name was constantly dragged into the matter. To keep his Cool and Calm and not get bogged down by what’s happening outside the Cricket field is what makes him Special.

Test Retirement

After getting beaten 0-4 by England and Australia on their home soil in the 2011-12 season and with the team in a transition phase after the Retirement of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman, India was to tour England and Australia again in the 2014-15 season. With the young side, MS came to England with the wounds of the previous tour. Both the teams played a Competitive draw in the first test at Nottingham and India lost the advantage of the big first-innings lead and James Anderson scored 81* in an 11th wicket Partnership with Joe Root to eventually put India on a defensive side to play for a Draw. India registered a famous victory at Lord’s in the second test and this victory came after 28 long years. This victory gave hope to everyone that India was here this time to prove a point and put up a fight. But, it was surprising to see that the team went quite defensive after being 1-0 up in the series and eventually lost the series 3-1 with lots of questions again on the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

For the tour Down Under, Virat Kohli got the opportunity to lead the Indian Test Side for the very first time as MS got injured before the 1st Test. There were a lot of question marks on Kohli’s Test form as well with just 144 runs in 8 innings at England in July-August and he had a point to prove here. He amazed everyone not only with his centuries in both innings but the Aggressive Mindset to go for the Win on the Final Day with India requiring 319 to win and India falling short by 47 runs. Kohli with his fighting hundreds led with the front and showed the way forward for this Indian Test side going forward. And, amidst all this, MS after the 3rd test at MCG, announced in the dressing room that He’s retiring from Test Cricket. No Farewell Speech, No Guard of Honor. nothing. MS Singhs Off from Test Cricket in his typical style. There were many questions asked on if he could have played the last test in Sydney, but MS might have thought after the 1st Test in Adelaide seeing the performance of Virat with the Bat and Captaincy Hat on, he decided to call it the time on a 90 Test Career. He didn’t even wish to play for another 10 tests to the landmark 100 test which makes him Special to think beyond his personal milestones and take some tough calls for the best interests of the team. As he was not able to contribute to its fullest in the Whites.

Post Test Retirement

The next assignment for MS after his Test Retirement was the 2015 CWC. They weren’t performing well there were lots of question marks over the team combination and no one even gave them the chance despite them being the Defending Champions. Before the start of the tournament, MS displayed a true level of Commitment to the team by not going back to India to see his newly born daughter, Ziva. He had the chance to visit his daughter as the tournament had not started by then, but he said in the Media that He’s on a national duty and everything else can wait. Indian Team was in great touch throughout the tournament and remained unbeaten till Quarter Finals before losing out to eventual Champions Australia in the Semi-Finals. The way MS led the Form team and brought them together to make them perform in the crunch games is what sets him apart as the Leader.

MS kept leading the ODI and T20I side with Virat Captaining the Test Side, India lost a closely fought ODI series to South Africa at Home in late 2015. While India had started playing fearless Cricket at the Test level, questions were being asked about Virat taking the onus of ODIs and T20Is as well. But Captain Cool waited for the right time to hand over the Captaincy to Virat. England’s tour of India in 2016-17, Virat took over the Limited Overs team’s captaincy. During the latter part of his India Career, he became an important cog behind the stumps by guiding Kuldeep and Yuzi to take out the Best in them. Kulcha became a force to reckon with together When India decided to look beyond Ashwin and Jadeja in the Limited Overs Format.

Now, to the last tournament of MS as an India Player, CWC 2019. India entered the tournament as a firm favorite alongside Host England. India played according to their tag in the tournament having comprehensive wins against every team in the group stages other than New Zealand because of the washout and a hard-fought loss to England. Indian fans had huge hopes for the Semi-Final Clash against New Zealand, India Bowled quite well on a rain-hit day to restrict New Zealand to 239. Moving to the Reserve Day proved to be the turning point in the game as Ball Swung more than it would have in the afternoon the previous day. India was 71-5 when MS joined Hardik Pandya in the 23rd Over. Even Hardik Got Out soon leaving India at 91-6. Jadeja Joined MS and the Match looked very far from India’s grasp. Jadeja then started attacking from one end while taking calculated risks and MS kept holding one end with his approach of taking the game deep. R Jadeja kept farming more of the strike and took Bowlers on while completing his half-century in 38 balls. When both the batters looked set to take the game away from the opposition, Jaddu was caught at Mid off in the 48th over in search of a boundary as India was requiring 32 off 14 balls. This Wicket would prove to be a turning point in the match eventually.

1.4 billion people cried on that with MS Dhoni after he got run out on the WC Semifinal in Manchester. This game proved to be his final match in Blue. He announced his retirement from International Cricket in his own Style “Main Pal do Pal ka Sayar hun, Pal do pal meri Kahani hai”. He still plays for CSK in IPL and I just hope that he continues to play at least one more season, Please MS! Abhi na jao hamei chodkar, Ye dil abhi bhara nahi ????

Thank You for the memories in Blue and Yellove ?? Thank You for making me fall in love with Cricket ??