T20 World Cup: The qualities of Mahendra Singh Dhoni that made him a mentor to India's players 'again'
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, standing behind the wicket, catches another wide ball and looks at Ishant Sharma, and very calmly raises his left arm and gestures to the fielder standing on the off side to come in the circle.
This is the ground of Egbiston where the Champions Trophy final between India and England is being played in 2013.
England needs 20 runs off 16 balls with only four players out. Owen Morgan and Ravi Bopara are on the crease. Commentators have been quietly criticizing Dhoni for giving the ball to the most expensive bowler of the match on this important occasion and most of the fans have mentally accepted India's defeat.
The rest of the world is watching the possible outcome but the 'fish' are living in the present, there is a strange satisfaction on their face. In meetings before this innings, Dhoni has made it clear to his teammates that he will not look to the sky in the hope of rain because "God will not come to save us."
So how is this satisfaction?
He has said in one of his interviews that "I am also anxious, I also get angry ... There is also frustration ... But what is to be done at this moment is more important than all these emotions. "
"I can better control my emotions when I'm thinking about what to do next, which player to use next."
Well, the plan changed. Morgan and Bopara returned to the pavilion one after the other on Ishant Sharma's slow balls. 20 off 16 balls now turned into 19 off 12 balls and then India did not look back.
This victory made Dhoni the first captain in history to win all three ICC White Ball tournaments. The 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. In addition, under his captaincy in the Indian Premier League, Chennai Super Kings have qualified for the final nine times and have won the tournament three times.
Eight years later, in a few days, Dhoni will again be in India's dressing room for an ICC tournament, but this time his role will be that of a 'mentor' for the T20 World Cup.
Under the captaincy of Virat Kohli and the coaching of Ravi Shastri, the Indian team has reached new heights and India is also starting this tournament as a favorite.
So why was Dhoni suddenly given the responsibility, and why did the former captain, who is usually busy with his job, accept the offer? Before we know the answers to these questions, let us know the person behind this 'strange satisfaction' who is truly a 'Gorkha Dhanda'.
"Dhoni can live in a palace and even in a small room."
MS Dhoni from Ranchi, the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand, belonged to a middle-class family whose sole breadwinner was his father.
If a boy is not quarrelsome, less talkative but fearful, and has a passion for sports as well as education and a job, then he will surely be the ideal child of a middle-class family. Dhoni had all these qualities. He started playing cricket for 'entertainment' but also took his studies with him.
Over time, he paid special attention to cricket but did not bother his parents for long and got a job in the railways, which did not take him long.
In the midst of all this, he always made decisions based on 'common sense and kept things around him very simple. Journalist and author Bharat Sanderson, who wrote MS Dhoni's autobiography 'The Dhoni Touch', has seen Dhoni's personality very closely. Bharat's book quotes a friend of Dhoni who probably summarizes Dhoni's personality in the best possible way. "Dhoni can live in a palace and in a small room," he says.
Speaking to the janisports from Australia, Bharat narrated some of Dhoni's childhood stories which are also recorded in his book. "Dhoni had leadership qualities since childhood," he says. According to his first coach Keshu Ranjan Banerjee, once his school team lost to a weaker team, Banerjee asked the players to return to school on foot instead of by bus.
"The school was six kilometers away and when Banerjee arrived at the school, he was worried about the players. They stood at the door waiting for him.
"I still remember Dhoni's face that day. He was leading the team and had a smile on his face. And he explained to his colleagues why this punishment was necessary. Then Dhoni convinced him that he would not tell his parents about it. It was a reflection of Dhoni's leadership abilities.
Bharat says Dhoni's life decisions also reveal his captaincy. "They make things easy for themselves and for others. And they have been making decisions based on common sense. "
"Usually when a player from a small town makes a big name, he thinks of buying a house in a big city like Mumbai, Delhi, etc." But here too, using common sense, Dhoni built a house in Ranchi according to his needs instead of buying a flat in a big city."They never believe in the decisions they make. Always thinking of something new, but logically.
A colleague of Dhoni's in the book 'The Dhoni Touch' told Bharat that 'Dhoni has always been the captain on the field. If Tendulkar had suggested a change in bowling, Mahi would have respectfully told him that it was not a good idea.
But if Mahi ever saw Sachin coming towards him in the hotel lobby, he would have given way for them. He did all this with respect, and there was never an element of deception in his actions.
Living in the present, not worrying about the outcome and focusing on the stages
All the interviews you hear from Dhoni have one thing in common and that is that he will always repeat these things over and over again. "I live in the present", "I don't care about the outcome" because "I get lost in the decision-making process."
At first glance, these are things that may seem insignificant, but in fact this is Dhoni's goal. "Dhoni often doesn't take phone calls to parties. People ask if you are Dhoni, don't you have important phone calls," he says. "If I give you this time, it's just It's up to you, there will be no further interference.
Bharat says that Dhoni's obsession with living in such a state is such that he never asks an astrologer about his fate even though it is very common in his hometown. The reason, he says, is that I'm not happy about the future, I'm happy at the moment.
Not only does Dhoni control his emotions by thinking about the decision-making process and not worrying about the outcome, but at the same time, it improves his ability to make decisions. That is why many of their decisions, which may seem strange to the general public, are in fact based on some logic.
The reason for giving the last over of the 2007 World Twenty20 final to Joginder Sharma was that he was a good yorker in the nets. He played for his team CSK and he was confident that he would be able to score against them.
In The Dhoni Touch, Bharat describes Dhoni's personality as follows: "He is indeed a mystery to the world, but in himself, he knows very well who he is."
Therefore, his decision to become the mentor of the Indian team is such that most of the fans will be a little surprised, but maybe his fort will open soon.
Dhoni was a mentor even before retirement
Speaking the janisports from the UK, Negraj Galapodi, Global News Editor of Cricket News and Analysis website KirkInfo, said that Dhoni has been mentoring the players of this Indian team for a long time.
"You talk to any of them and they will have a story about Dhoni. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jaspreet Bhamra, Ashwin are all players who have been mentored by Dhoni at different stages of his career. So I don't think Dhoni will have much of a problem in this role.
However, Dhoni's sudden role has been criticized by some in India. Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja disagreed with the decision while talking to Sony Sports.
"It's beyond my comprehension," he said. I have been thinking for the last two days about what might be the reason behind this decision. I am not talking about MS Dhoni ... Dhoni has no bigger fan than me.
"But when a captain takes the team to a new level. A coach who made the team the best team in the world, so what happened all of a sudden, that a mentor was needed? '
However, both Bharat and Nigraj agree that the cooperation is likely to be excellent due to the mutual respect between Kohli and Dhoni.
"It was a surprise to me that Dhoni was so supportive because he usually doesn't come back when he leaves a place, but it is certain that the scope of his position is only a mentor," says Nigraj. It will not be the same.
"He will definitely play a role as a planner and use his experience of winning ICC tournaments to help Virat and especially the players who need encouragement."
"The door to Dhoni's room was always open."
On the other hand, Bharat Sanderson also thinks that Dhoni will actually have a 'comeback' in this role as he has been doing this for a long time. Whether it's during the IPL or towards the end of his career.
This is also true. While Dhoni is known for his excellent tactics, his long-term support for the players and often the careers of the players also come to his credit.
Bharat says that wherever Dhoni lived, the door of his hotel room was always open. This is so that no one will hesitate to access them. There would be video games in Dhoni's room and the players would play games and have fun there.
According to Nigraj, "Dhoni has always believed in talking about cricket at the cricket ground and showing dedication in this regard, but after that, there will be only entertainment and in the meantime, he also removes the hesitation of players who usually are afraid to talk.
"You need this kind of support during the ICC tournaments and Dhoni as far as I know he would not have said yes to this offer without this wider influence, but it is also true that Dhoni It is possible to live within one's sphere.
Dhoni's condition will not be like Misbah's?
Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan's most Test-winning captain, also decided a few months after his retirement that he would be part of Pakistan's team management. However, this decision cost him dearly and not only did he fail, but his popularity among the people also declined.
When asked if the same could happen with Dhoni, Nigraj said, "Dhoni and Misbah have different personalities and there is a difference in the cricket system in Pakistan and India." The BCCI is a modern board and above all the relationship between Kohli and Dhoni is such that it is unlikely to happen.
He said that Dhoni is becoming a part of the team as a mentor, not a coach or a selector, so he also knows not to cross the line and maybe he will continue to play such an advisory role in the future.