Today is 15^th August 2020, a sleepy Saturday morning here in Seattle. Half asleep, I opened Facebook to tap the patriotic fervor of my fellow Facebook friends. Yeah, it’s usual. We all become super patriotic on a couple of days and then move on to desecrate the core values of our constitution for the rest of the year. While scrolling through the news feed and going through the jingoistic posts, one post caught my attention. It was shared just 4 minutes ago: “और इस तरह बचपन और क्रिकेट देखने की सारी यादों ने भी सन्यास ले लिया!”. My heart sank. I knew who it was referring to. I immediately checked the news. The big headline was: “MS Dhoni Retires: The Man Who Won It All For India”.

That six over long on at Wankhede stadium and the piercing gaze that followed through epitomizes Dhoni for me: confident, equanimous, unorthodox and a true leader. I have seen replays of that 2011 world cup final umpteen number of times and I always marvel at such a calculated run chase in a high-pressure match. Gautam Gambhir was no doubt the architect of that run chase, but somehow Dhoni stole the thunder. And he had a knack for it. Building the innings to a gripping crescendo and then reaching the climax with a stunning six. He did this 23 times in international cricket. Yes, 23 times! Many a times, he used to avoid singles in order to end the inning with the maximum. As I am writing this, I cannot swipe away the image of his sly grin after committing this mischief. It was as if he craved for a thunderous resounding applaud with a standing ovation. He had an indispensable faith and confidence in himself. Look, he was no Tendulkar. His techniques were questionable. His stance and footwork were not the best. His cover drive was not the most elegant. But boy, he was good at achieving results. He was a master at rotating strike. In his early career, Dhoni’s batting style was explosive but gradually he changed it and focused on stealing run off every single delivery bowled to him. That was his mantra. Even in adverse circumstances, his cool demeanor sucked away all the pressure. His level-headedness and equanimity gave Indian cricket team a dependable #6 and made him one of the greatest finishers in world cricket, in the leagues of esteemed Michael Bevan, Lance Klusener and Mike Hussey.

Above everything else, I consider Dhoni as one of the best leaders I have seen alive. His cool calming nature even in the face of defeat is now a benchmark. He taught us that at the end of it, it is just a game. Have a big heart, accept the defeat, and move on. Hogging the limelight has never been his thing. I have seen him handing over the trophies to his fellow teammates and silently hide away in the background. This is the quality of a true leader. A true leader always gives the success to his team but takes the blame of failure to himself. In an interview with Scroll he revealed his reasoning. He said that in a team sport it is unfair for captain to get so much of exposure. That’s why he never clung to the trophy and handed it over to his teammates as soon as possible. Even at the time of retirement, he was as graceful as ever. Away from all the cacophony and prying eyes, he signed off silently with an Instagram post. No bells and whistles, just a video collage of his memorable pics with the song ‘मैं पल दो पल का शायर हूँ’ in the background.

While Dhoni was active, I had a love-hate relationship with him. But now when he has retired, I think it was always love. Sometimes I derided him and his capability to finish off, particularly towards fag end of his career. But deep down in my heart, I always wanted him to succeed. I always wanted him to win more matches for India. Today when I zoom out and introspect on what he has achieved, I am categorically impressed. It is monumental, not just as a captain but as a batsman and a wicketkeeper as well. 17266 runs, 634 catches, 195 stumpings, winning 2 world cup trophies, and guiding Indian team to the pinnacle of success in all the 3 formats of the game is, by no means, a small feat. Dhoni started his journey from a remote town of Ranchi and rallied on to become Thala for all the Tamilians and tugged the heartstrings of 1.25 billion Indians. His journey is truly inspirational.

Without you Mahi, DRS will never be the same. Take a bow captain!