Published: Feb 16, 2016, 04:28 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 16, 2016, 05:03 PM (IST)
If at all ‘T20 bug’ is a legitimate term, India got pricked by it not in 2008 when the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicked off, but a year before — when they won the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 2007. An unknown format in which most of the participants were not too aware of the nuances, the T20 cricket immediately caught up with the Indian cricket fans when they won against Pakistan in that bowl-out (and later, after the Misbah-ul-Haq brainfreeze) and the liking for it grew among them with every single Indian win. The cricket-mad country fell in love with the format when MS Dhoni lifted the trophy on that memorable evening, and the cricketer and the format kept growing since then. ALSO READ: MS Dhoni can’t forget Chennai Super Kings (CSK), as he gears up to lead Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS)
Dhoni, India’s World Cup-winning captain, was handed the reins of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the first edition of IPL. By the time the tournament started, Indians were already in love with the slam-bang format. Back then, it was an absolute no-brainer to select CSK was one of the the favourite sides simply because the Indian captain was at the helm.
It was about the fans. They fell in love with T20 cricket, IPL and all the razzmatazz that came along. None complained, including cricketers who were made to fly across all over India, stay in different hotels, go through rigorous activities on and off the field, and play on smouldering April and May evenings every year. Dhoni, who was already carrying the burden of a billion expectations, saw the pressure increasing manifold when CSK failed to win the first two editions of the IPL. Everyone was happy with IPL and its growing popularity, and they also wanted Dhoni to win.
It took two seasons for Dhoni to get things going. He took CSK to an enviable position where they still. They won IPL twice, in 2010 and 2011, and won Champions League twice, in 2012 and 2014. They became the best IPL side under Dhoni, and are likely to remain the same till they make a comeback.
Since CSK have been suspended and Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) have arrived, the world wants Dhoni to forget a franchise he has played for 8 long years. The question is: why will he?
Dhoni and CSK grew hand in hand. Dhoni established his limited-overs specialist image only through IPL; the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 win only consolidated it. India never played enough T20Is for their players to build reputations. The helicopter shot, shrewd captaincy skills and an infallible calmness made Dhoni stand out. Dhoni’s side played provided enough material for other T20 teams mushrooming around the world to base their games on. But none could every replicate Dhoni or CSK. ALSO READ: MS Dhoni says 8 seasons of IPL has given India the experience to win ICC World T20 2016
Dhoni’s might grew manifolds in IPL; he turned a bunch of cricketers from different parts of the world and backgrounds into a winning combination. Dhoni fulfilled many of his dreams with CSK, and even became one of the best T20 batsmen. He has played 129 games for CSK in the last 8 years, and close to 3,000 runs makes him one of the most successful.
After all this, Dhoni is expected to forget CSK and start afresh? No, it is too harsh.
And those who expect Dhoni to forget everything about his ‘former’ franchise and start afresh, must remember that both Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will return to IPL in 2018, and the new franchises, the Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) and Gujarat Lions (GL) will have to make way.
Throughout his career Dhoni has sailed through rough waters, but being a human (why do we keep forgetting cricketers are also human beings?) he is as vulnerable and soft as the others. To expect him to forget eight long years of fond memories with CSK within few months and put his heart into the new side is as unfair as expecting him to lead India to victories in all series he plays!
That, unfortunately is an irrational demand.
(Devarchit Varma is senior writer with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
