Dear Dhoni,
I looked at my calendar and saw the date. 29th March. The start of IPL 2020. Who cares about that. It was all about watching you. It was all about seeing you walking down to the pitch while looking up. We know you would get lost in the romance between you and the game.
With ‘Dhoni Dhoni’ chant being the perfect playlist for your mood, you’d come out to field first. The words from behind, those pep talks and of course, your walk would make us fall in love with you.
Then you walk back. With that spark. Telling people that Hey, I’m back.
You’d come out again when the team is in trouble and push them close to the finish line.
During the presentation ceremony, we would have got answers to plenty of questions that we had right from the World Cup Semifinal. You would smile throughout answering everything with your wittiness. It is a complete package. You’d smile and walk back.
This is how I imagined. This is how it should have been. I eagerly counted days to watch your play. To watch you. Whenever there was a highlight of any of the game, I was missing you so much that I would end up talking to you as if you were here, as if you’d listen to me. I would ask about how did you come out of that semifinal loss. I would ask you how did you cope up mentally. Because it’s you and you hate losing. At least not this way. You do know you would have done it if you dived that day. You did regret it and it’s hard.
I would tell you it’s okay. I would tell you that you did give us so much and you did try your best on that day. Sometimes, things happen. Sometimes, you’d lose. While we always know that India will be back stronger soon, it is hard not to realize that you might not be there. To play again. To finish the games. To lift the trophy.
Will you be back soon? Will you do that ‘Dhoni finishes off in style once again? Will you take us a trip on your helicopter shot? Will you demonstrate lightning speed with your stumpings again? Will you?
While words failing me, I know to postpone IPL is the best decision and surviving is more important now, I wish this never happened. I wish our days were normal. I wish it was just another bright Sunday. I wish it was the day where we could get to see you. See you laugh. Play.
We miss you. We really do. Maybe you will be back soon. Maybe you’d say us all a silent goodbye and never turn back. While I do wish that the latter will not happen, I’m going to take day by day and wait for you. Because it’s you and it’s worth it even if it is hard.
—–For a Dhoni fan.
