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| Mahendra Singh Dhoni at Adelaide Oval (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
"[Insert swear word], isko kyun bowling de diyaa?"
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It was year 2007, a bad year for Indian cricket fans already. A first round exit from the World Cup in the West Indies, to be followed by a poor decision. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was a weird choice for captain of this new cricket variant called the T20. The senior pros Sachin, Dravid and Ganguly had decided to sit out and let the kids play this kids' World Cup. Why not Yuvraj Singh, I had asked?
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Then came the final over of the final with Pakistan a boundary away from victory. Dhoni turned to a terrified looking Joginder Sharma. That was it. I was convinced. What a disaster this new captain was!
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As it turned out, Misbah-ul-Haq committed hara-kiri. Sreesanth was waiting to pick up the death certificate. Of course, we were overjoyed in that moment, the trio of old school friends who danced the Russian Cossack dance out of sheer relief in front of the TV. How lucky was MSD to get away with that! Winning helped temper down too much criticism. It always does.
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Soon we were to learn that our new captain embodied Kipling's
"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same" advice to the E.
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And he kept getting away with a lot more. The most stressful job in all of India did lead to the greying of his now trimmed hair but as far external signs were concerned, that was all. Because nothing it seemed could shake MS Dhoni. Victory did not make him exult, defeat did not make him whinge and anger could not escape whatever dark prison it finds itself imprisoned within Dhoni's inscrutable face.
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We the Indian cricket fans, the loudest, the most rabid, most passionate sports fans in all of the world are a better nation because of it. Dhoni is the kind of captain that India needed but did not know it did.
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The IPL investigation has opened up a can of worms destroying permanently that image of Dhoni's perfectness. I would still like to believe that it was solely because of the corruption indulged in by his boss, Srini that Dhoni finds himself in the mess that he is in. I also understand that facts are not always in sync with what I would 'like' to believe.
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What cannot be doubted that Dhoni is a player with only specific and limited cricketing talent. What also cannot be doubted is that what he had achieved with that talent is extraordinary, an inspiration for everyone from the Joginder Sharmas to the Virat Kohlis. Effort and hard work, he just cannot be faulted on.
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7 years later, another T20 World Cup final is at hand but the world has changed a lot since. On current form, India is almost expected to win and with that will grow the whispers of how India's victories tie in closely with Srini's toughest phases of legal trouble (Pssstttt... fixing).
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Dhoni is a hero in my book, Srini is the criminal. Justice is blind to past achievements so sad as it makes me to say it, in case of any wrongdoing, Dhoni must pay his dues. The Indian cricket team is my team because it is India's team, not Srini's no matter how much he tries to bathe himself in reflected glory. The team of 11 players is still going to put themselves on the line hoping to bring temporary joy to those insatiable fans of theirs.
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Victory today should not drive the issues of the rot within the BCCI to the background but unfortunately it will. Defeat will most likely result in people gleefully cheering for Dhoni's downfall and clubbing him with miserable lowlifes like Srini. Neither outcome is to be celebrated too enthusiastically in my opinion.
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Despite the efforts at finding a balanced approach, I find myself wearing my "lucky" Indian team jersey from the 2011 World Cup final today. Despite knowing the darker side of politics in cricket, I want to focus solely on the next 40 overs as we take on an able & oft-seen rival in the field. Despite all my rationalizing and eulogizing, this is still my team and this is still my country.
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"Jeeteygaa bhai jeeteygaa, India jeeteygaa [Repeat]"
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