Published: Mar 26, 2015, 08:56 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 26, 2015, 08:56 PM (IST)
The Indian juggernaut finally came to a screeching halt against Australia in the semi-final at Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The batsmen flourished, the bowlers thrived, the fielders hurled themselves around, and the team rolled on till all went awry on a day that mattered. Abhishek Mukherjee re-lives a journey with more ups than downs and tries to decode the indecipherable enigma that is MS Dhoni.
MS Dhoni had missed the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series. He was back by the second and retired by the third. He failed to lead India to a single victory in the Carlton Mid Series. Amidst all this, he became a father, but could not make it back home to see little Ziva. There was, after all, a World Cup to deal with — a tournament that started with Ishant Sharma returning home and ended with Anushka Sharma being condemned by the intellectually challenged fanatics. READ: Australia crush by India by 95 runs, qualify for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 final
We all know the numbers. India won seven matches in a row. Add to that the four from ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, and the streak adds up to 11. India also bowled out their opposition seven times on the trot, a first in their One-Day International (ODI) history. India won seven of their eight matches (87.5%) — their best in any edition of World Cup cricket. And so on. India vs Australia Semi-Final: Highlights
Six batsmen scored over 200 runs. Four bowlers claimed 13 wickets or more. The other man claimed nine wickets and had a strike rate of 97 with the bat. There was the occasional lapse, but the fielding was generally better than what was expected. Most importantly, though the fans and media created an immense hype around every match, Dhoni’s men managed to remain low-key through the tournament. Full Scorecard: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 2 at Sydney
The last bit was perhaps the most unusual. The Indians almost refused to come to the forefront throughout the tournament. There was no double-hundred or fifty-ball hundred; there was no mystery spinner or breathtaking fast bowler; seldom was a record broken by an Indian; and yet, seven teams were bowled out on the trot. Photo Gallery
Spare a thought for the prematurely greying man who had masterminded all this. It has not been easy, of course. It is not easy to motivate a side after a winless streak of nine individual matches. It has not been easy to keep a side going that have been away from home for so long, Dhoni quipped at the press conference, “another 20 days, and we can apply for citizenship.” Full Scorecard: India vs Australia, ICC World Cup 2015 Semi-Final 2 at Sydney
Had there been a poor start to the tournament, the nation would have ripped him apart; many had even accepted Virat Kohli as the new captain. But Dhoni remained unflappable. Victories came and went, but Dhoni continued to remain unnoticed. He looked as relaxed in a win as he looked in prior defeats. He stopped them from getting carried away by records. India’s victories in the World Cup were more clinical than outrageous; and that man behind the stumps had been at the helm of it.
He could have taken Umesh Yadav off after four overs in his first spell; he could have been more aggressive when Australia lost three wickets; he could have walked out at four; he could have started the acceleration early; he could have done a lot of things today. He did not do them. India lost the match. The bowlers were awry, the fielding was not top-notch, some wickets were due to irresponsible strokes; but, having said all that, the responsibility of a defeat, just like poor over-rates, lies with most with the man in charge.
It had been a tournament of seven comprehensive wins and one comprehensive defeat. South Africa’s tournament consisted of five wins and three defeats. Yet, while the cricket fraternity cried when AB de Villiers broke down, few will resonate that moment when Dhoni’s voice choked during post-match presentation.
It does not matter to Dhoni. It has been one long journey, from one tournament to the other. He has led India to all three ICC tournament titles (World T20, World Cup, and Champions Trophy). He has led India to long — very long — stretches of overseas defeats. He has had his share of fans and critics, of brickbats and endorsements, of humiliation and fanfare. But he has remained indecipherable, unfathomable, and almost emotionless through the entire journey.
It will be a long flight back home. He would see his daughter nearly two months after she was born before he would be on his way to Chennai for the Indian Premier League (IPL). Nobody would have blamed him if he had taken a couple of days off, but he chose not to. Nobody can blame him if he wants to miss a couple of IPL matches, but knowing Dhoni, he will not, for refusing to give in to emotions is an essential component of being Dhoni.
Is he ruing the two-second display of personal sentiments during his conversation with Mark Nicholas? Once again, we will never find out. When it comes to Dhoni, nobody ever gets to find out. He came back with a smile at the press-conference; it never seemed he had missed out on his best opportunity to silence his critics. The usual comebacks were there: he “trolled” Indian media (is that not the word they use these days?); and he seemed calm and gracious in defeat.
Journalism gives you access to characters; seldom would you come across a mind so impassive. Let the emotions flow for once, Dhoni. Give us a chance to understand you. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)
