THAT’s THE WAY, MAHI WAY

As Mahendra Singh Dhoni turns 38 today, speculation of this being his last World Cup and all the talk around his retirement gathers momentum. Well such murmurs have been doing the rounds for quite sometime now and every time Dhoni comes up with something magical to silence his critics. Undoubtedly he is still the best wicket keeper in the world given his lightning quick reflexes behind the stumps.

From a small town boy to being the most successful captain of the Indian Cricket Team it has been a roller coaster ride for him. Just when the Indian team looked deflated and doomed for misery he was named the captain to lead the side after a horrific ODI World Cup campaign in 2007. He lead the team to win the inaugural T20 World Cup edition in South Africa when no one really thought they would be a force to reckon with. From that moment on he never looked back and led the side efficiently winning every ICC trophy along the way. He has often been termed as ‘Captain Cool’ with his calm demeanour and the way he performs in the pressure situations is exemplary. His records and statistics speak for themselves as he has amassed over 10,000 runs with an average of over 50 in ODI’s and this for someone who has batted lower down the order for most of his career are mind boggling numbers. His unorthodox shots and the manner in which he plays are not straight out of the coaching manual but he is someone who reads the match situation and excels in the art of winning matches for the team. Dhoni is hugely respected not only for his cricketing prowess but also for the kind of person he is. From fans to opposition players alike everybody love and respect him immensely. Especially in Chennai, he is no less than an idol who is worshipped and sets in a frenzy whenever he steps onto the field donning the yellow for the Chennai Super Kings.

He has been the finisher over the years for Team India. Over the last few years however there have been questions raised over his inability to rotate the strike in the middle overs. But then again his contributions with the bat have been worthwhile in low scoring games. The expectations from him have always been sky high and he is still doing a decent enough job for the team. His presence in the dressing room and out in the middle in itself is a huge boost for the team. His equation with Virat Kohli can be seen in the match when he gives his valuable inputs in setting the field and helps Virat tactically. He has been so good most of the times with the DRS that it has been called “DHONI REVIEW SYSTEM” by the commentators. He is still one of the fittest cricketers in the Indian team and super quick in running between the wickets. Age is just a number and irrespective of whether he decides to retire or not after the World Cup remains to be seen but surely the team still needs him going forward and surely he still has a lot to offer.