Dhoni retires

Dhoni retires from test cricket, Dhoni retires from international cricket, Indian skipper Dhoni announces retirement from test cricket, and Captain Cool hangs his boots screamed media. It was breaking news, the kind, favored by the media. MSD or Mahi or Captain Cool as he is popularly known is indeed an enigma and his sudden premature retirement from test cricket vindicates it. His decision was as unpredictable as English weather, women folk or the stock market, but pragmatic. He was not getting any younger and the pressures of playing and leading the team in all formats was taking a toll on his health and performance alike. Captaining Indian cricket team is no ordinary job and can rob substantial years of your life. Dhoni wore this thorny tiara with aplomb for most of his career during which he reached the zenith, thanks to the 2 world championship India won. At the same time he hit the nadir when India lost 8 test matches on a trot in Australia and England under his captainship. In spite of these fluctuating fortunes, he never exploded nor imploded and was calm as a cucumber. He has never gone over the top and made controversial comments nor did he pay heed to critics during his bad phase. He was calmness personified, which in itself is an enigma for many. He rarely gets riled nor does he wear his emotions on his sleeve. That’s Dhoni for you.

Dhoni and CALM-SUTRA

Success Vs Failure 

His humble background, he was a TC with Indian railways before wearing the tag of one of the richest sportsman in India and worldwide. He attributes these humble beginnings which keep him firmly grounded. His soaring popularity and Midas touch is what baffles many a pundits and critics. His unconventional playing and leadership style has always been a topic of discussion and scrutiny, but that never bothered Dhoni. Self-belief, confidence and a good understanding of the game can be attributed to his success. Success and failure are the two sides of the same coin. Some of his out of box ideas and plans did wonders and brought glory, but the same, at times failed miserably bringing in lot of failure and criticism his way. His phlegmatic avatar which was at times hailed by all and sundry came to haunt him when India lost to Australia and England in the test matches. His performance as captain in overseas conditions is not something he would like to remember ever. This record is a blemish on his otherwise illustrious career. Since then, critics and former players have been baying for his blood and wanted him dethroned from the test captaincy. Many of them even commented saying he has gone past his usability as a test captain.

DhoniFied

Virat Effect?

Emergence of young, dynamic captain in Virat Kohli was something which was playing on his mind and this resulted in he retiring from test cricket is what is being discussed in gossip columns galore. There are many other theories that are doing the rounds, but its legitimacy and truthfulness is / can be doubted. Going by his stature and hold on the cricketing affairs on and off the field, the theories hold very less credibility. So what was it that led him to take this shocking decision of not donning the whites anymore, when the series was still on down under? Going by Dhoni’s nature some say this is not surprising or shocking, he always wants to play it down without any pompous show off and self-importance. The genuineness of his action comes from the fact that he is just short of few runs to complete a landmark of 5000 test runs or for that matter 10 tests away from reaching the milestone of playing 100 tests. Looking at his age this was easily achievable.

Au Revoir

All said, something very decisive might have happened which compelled him to give away a career as test cricketer when he could have continued for next few years. His retirement has robbed him off the possibility of wiping out the ignominy of losing maximum tests overseas, or at-least reducing the loosing percentage by some margin. Nevertheless, he is still the most successful Indian captain in all formats of the game, an achievement which needs to be lauded. The game is a great leveler as they say, stupendous success to bitter failures, and he has experienced it in his career spanning 10 years. Henceforth, the calming effect on the cricketing field won’t be felt in the longer format of the game, a perfect foil to the fiery environs. Dhoni has left big shoes to fill, a void which would take years to nullify. Midas Singh Dhoni would be seriously missed.

Midas Touch

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MS Dhoni - An Enigma