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Love to hate, hate to love

Dhoni was pretty young when he made it to the team. Now, Team India is full of legends and record-makers. Even to cross their shadows, to make people notice he had to do things extra. Well, at least one would have thought, but Dhoni had other ideas. He was unorthodox. Forget his technique, his flowing red-tinted hair caught the eyes of the spectators. Nobody could forget the face that had the spark and… hair.

Now, with recognition comes expectation. In a Sachin-Dada worshipping era, whatever they did were also worship and when Dada decided to give young Dhoni his spot against Pakistan, expectations were high. So many things that ran inside everyone’s mind. Cricket is a religion here in India, I tell you and don’t get me started about facing Pakistan.
Astonishment. Agony. Curiosity. It was a mixed reaction on the face of spectators. That was the first time Dhoni made people glue to the television. He batted. Lived up the expectations. Surprised millions and gave away the smell of what the future awaited for all of us.

Indian greats came up as a package. Nobody was as unique as Dhoni. He made his own book of shots that were not only impressive but also had the audience separated. It was always a war between ‘Love to hate’ and ‘hate to love’. Nobody wanted to love him because we never witnessed cricket that way but many fell in love with time. Again, nobody wanted to love him because he was nothing like the players they have witnessed earlier.

Dhoni’s career till 2007 went like a whisker. At times, people would forget his humble beginnings, oh, blame what he had achieved later on. 2007 World Cup T20 witnessed the coolest captain in the history of cricket for the first time. His instinct worked, his leadership worked, he led India to a World Cup win. Things would have been different in the final if Misbah managed to pulled it off and Sreesanth didn’t. That would have brought in a lot of controversies. Hey, fortune favours the brave, right?
Dhoni was brave that day. His instincts were brave. He was ready to accept everything. Thus, things happened.

As a captain, his responsibility grew. From a young dasher, he became a matured batter. However, he kept the youngster alive and it peeps out occasionally even today.

With Chennai Super Kings, he found his second home and everything began in 2008. The Indian Premier League. The love for Chennai. The birth of Thala. Now, Thala is the most emotional name to every single Chennai Super Kings fan out there. They would go to Mars just to catch the glimpse of their Thala. With every single match, Dhoni got closer. With every single knock, he became an emotion. A household name. A brother. The bond between CSK fans and Dhoni is probably the most difficult thing to put in words. This relationship is something everyone would take it to the grave.

Now, every legend who played for India had something to give it to the country. Dhoni’s thing was a success. As a leader, Dhoni was all calm and flair. He had emotions but he seldom showed. He wasn’t as aggressive as Kohli, as swagger as Ganguly. He wouldn’t celebrate like Bravo. His celebrations were simple most of the times. It was spontaneous. He would show aggression but very rare. He was as calm as night. Behind the stumps, he was like a tiger eyeing its prey. He was quiet but the mind would tell a different story. He was a combination of strategist and a finisher. He knew when he had to switch between the two. His strong bottom hand and comfortable footwork went hand in hand. He can do this running thing all day long unfortunately, he had to run with a partner who seldom matches his stamina.

As I type “Dhoni finishes off in style,” I can hear Ravi Shastri’s commentary and Dhoni’s six hits my mind in a flash followed by the celebration. This moment. This very moment. Took Dhoni to a place where many of his predecessors couldn’t. He pulled off something amazing that would stay with India every single day. As much as Dhoni gave back to his team, he received much from them too. This is one of them. Everyone was ready to overdo things and was ready to give it all. Dhoni was always there.

His warmth made people around him feel less pressure. He was the one they could depend on and they knew he always had their back. He never closed his door, was ready to hear his player’s problems and was ready to go a step ahead to solve them. Team before the player. Country before the team. This was Dhoni.

Dhoni’s press conference is a different story of love and romance. His answers were not as thoughtful as Dravid and not as witty as Rohit. He was fluent, on to the point and there was a beautiful display of cheerful emotions followed by a smile. These emotions are something you cannot ignore and you would end up celebrating all along with him. Nobody is as graceful in victory as in defeat like Dhoni. He cannot do that. He cannot keep emotions in check yet he did and he does. He loves those challenges. Dhoni without the constant challenges and pressure is a different human being altogether. That human being is only for his family and friends. Fans can enjoy a photo or two of that human whenever he decides the need to. Now, that human has to decide when he would talk about his return. The uncertainty of his future is the worst thing ever. Nothing kills the fan more than than the fear and anxiety of not knowing what is going to happen next. This constant fear is also triggered by those social media trends that literally kills everyone. It is not the end. He will be back. Please.

Dhoni will be back. At least as the captain of Chennai Super Kings. We still have a lot more to see. He sure has at least two IPL cups in him.

Now, till then, let us enjoy every single moment of Dhoni’s play that is left. Let’s live in the moment and as Dhoni would say, let’s just enjoy the process rather than thinking about the future or the result.

HbdDhoni #HappyBirthdayDhoni #HBDMSD #HBDMSDhoni #cricket #mahi #msdhoni

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