Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a rare breed in world cricket. The legendary wicketkeeper-batter has been the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008. They won the IPL four times, and the credit goes to Dhoni's sharp cricketing brain and intuition from behind the wicket.
On Sunday, India's World Cup-winning captain will lead the Super Kings in their 10th final. Besides the star-studded batting lineup, the yellow army's fate will depend on Dhoni's gut feeling against defending champion Gujarat Titans, led by protégé Hardik Pandya.
The former India skipper, who only plays the IPL, planned his role in advance. He let his mind do the talking more than his batting skills. The subtle field changes between deliveries and the 15-odd balls he faced on average made a difference in the end. The 41-year-old knew he couldn't bat for long and relied on his six-hitting abilities to finish games.
Despite being severely hit by injuries, Dhoni constructed a team out of the limited options and ensured no panic in the dressing room.
The typical Dhoni intuition
The four-time IPL champions did not have a rosy start to the tournament. A few key players, including England Test captain Ben Stokes, bought for Rs 16.25 crore at the auction, suffered injuries. A back injury closed doors on New Zealand all-rounder Kyle Jamieson. South Africa pacer Sisanda Magala, who came in as his replacement, suffered a split webbing after two games and was out. India speedster and CSK regular Deepak Chahar had a stop-start stint due to his hamstring ailment.
Dhoni did not crumble and turned the topsy-turvy situation into opportunities for Matheesha Pathirana, the young Sri Lanka pacer who returned 17 wickets in 11 outings, and Tushar Deshpande, the uncapped player from Mumbai who picked up 21 wickets in 15 games. It was, perhaps, a part of his Plan B and C.
Even Ajinkya Rahane, who had lost his spot in the Test side, has been recalled for the World Test Championship final after smashing 299 runs with a best score of 71 not out this season for the Super Kings. India all-rounder Shivam Dube, who did not get an opportunity after leaking 34 in an over in a T20I against New Zealand in 2020, could be back in contention for a spot as Dhoni helped unleash his fearless side. The left-hander recorded his best IPL season with 386 runs in 15 games at a strike rate of 158.85.
Last year, Dhoni's words transformed Dube's mindset at the nets. It was perhaps the start when he scored 95 against Royal Challengers Bangalore. "Mahi Bhai (MS Dhoni) once told me something, and those are the most encouraging and motivating words for me. 'You're good; just be fearless,"' Dube said in an interview on the franchise's YouTube channel.
No niceties for errors under Dhoni
Ask any former CSK player, and they will talk about the relaxed dressing room ambience. Over the years, it has helped them blossom as there are no ego wars or added pressure with Dhoni as skipper. He doesn't even like attending team meetings. He passes on his input to head coach Stephen Fleming and the other support staff.
On the field, Dhoni plays the taskmaster. The seasoned leader will not react to a dropped catch, but he can get angry if his fielders don't keep an eye on him. He keeps changing the field now and then. "You see the wicket and the conditions. You keep adjusting the field. I can be a very annoying captain because I shift the fielder one or two feet here and there every time. Imagine you are fielding and every two balls or three balls, I am like, ‘Okay two feet to your right, three feet to your left.’ I always say I believe in my gut feeling, I see the wicket, the line, what is happening and more often than not, it pays off," he said in the post-match presentation after beating Gujarat in Qualifier 1.
The World Cup-winning captain can make a target of 150 seem like 175 because he stresses a lot about fielding. And if a bowler bowls extras in such games, Captain Cool is no more the cool customer. Former India fielding coach R. Sridhar reiterated in his interviews how Dhoni never wanted to compromise on fielding and running between the wickets. He would opt for players who could save runs and turn the ones into twos.
The Super Kings bowled 16 extras in one of the games against Lucknow SuperGiants this season. They won the game by 12 runs but Dhoni warned his bowlers to cut down on extras or play under a new captain.
The final will be Dhoni's 250th in the IPL, and it remains to be seen if he continues next season. With the introduction of Impact Player, one cannot rule out his participation in the tournament, even if he chooses not to lead the side.
It is hard to predict a Dhoni farewell.
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