Maybe Dhoni was trying to take it all in after two grueling months. Moeen Ali hugged him tightly and the contours of his face were devoid of any emotion. Maybe there was a storm brewing in his mind for those last six bullets and that was the calm side effect.
Dhoni has just guided CSK to a fifth IPL trophy in 11 final appearances and he remained unfazed. Job done, what is it. He couldn’t suppress his grin as an ecstatic Jadeja jumped onto his lap and engaged in a bear hug.
There was speculation about their relationship deteriorating after Jadeja had to relinquish the CSK captaincy mid-season in 2022, but as they say in Hindi, “anth bhala toh sab bhala” (all’s well that ends GOOD).
If Dhoni is involved, we’ll never know what really happened. Because what happens in ‘Dhoniland’ stays in ‘Dhoniland’. Ask any CSK devotee, and they’ll say it’s an old saying from the concrete jungle.
Has the world seen moist eyes? Maybe yes. But there will be no overt display of emotions. It was all about process and execution with precision. A lot of courage, and yes, a little luck too.
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Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans to claim fifth IPL title
He walks quietly on the ground. Pats the head of unlucky Gujarat Titans pitcher Mohit Sharma. He knows what it’s like to get so close and miss the chance. Remember Old Trafford where he set it up Dhoni style. This is why Dhoni is special and eminently relatable. He can identify with failures as much as he can with success.
Mohit is someone who learned the ropes of high-flying bowling under Dhoni at CSK before fading into oblivion and then making a big comeback this IPL.
Meanwhile, Jadeja does a TV interview and dedicates her performance and victory to “MS Dhoni”. The Motera stand, resembling a sunflower, bursts open, but is that a hint that the end is near.
The question followed Dhoni to each city and different people asked him the question in a different way. The street smart player that he is, he’s always given a cheeky response, like the one to Danny Morrison where he joked that he was already forcing him to retire, or at a promotional event where he said any announcement would derail things.
Have we seen the last of him? Maybe or maybe not. Only time will tell how he copes with a damaged knee as he nears 43.
“If you see the circumstances, now is the best time to announce retirement. The easiest thing for me is to say thank you and retire. But the hardest thing to do is work hard for nine months and try to play one more IPL season. The body has to hold on.
“The amount of love I received from CSK fans, it would be a gift for them to play one more season,” Dhoni said before receiving his fifth trophy.
The love of Chennai fans has been unconditional and Chepauk has been its amphitheater, and he has been the hero as well as the main protagonist for them.
“The way they showed their love and emotion is something I have to do for them. It’s the last part of my career. It started here and the packed house was chanting my name. It was the same in Chennai, but it will be nice to come back and play whatever I can,” Dhoni assured everyone who braved the rain, changed routes, burned holes in their pockets and were in attendance for the hear about well after midnight.
So will it be a practical or an emotional decision if Dhoni, who will turn 43 next year, decides to play another season of a grueling two-month tournament?
It’s easier said than done in professional sports, but Dhoni wants to wait. At first glance, this may seem emotional because CSK is not just another team for Dhoni, who pays him a big paycheck. It’s an emotional investment.
For the next decade he would just make all the decisions in cricket and as a quick learner would work alongside Rupa Gurunath to understand the business of running a franchise as well.
But those who have seen Dhoni, they know that N Srinivasan, the venerable owner of CSK, is the ex-India captain’s former life coach and he learned one thing from him: if possible, always wait for the time and take -the deep, on and off the field.
So if another IPL is 10 months away and they need to keep fit for cricket for at least three months before the next edition, they will try to do so.
“The kind of cricket I play, they feel they can play that cricket. There’s nothing orthodox about it and I like to keep it simple,” Dhoni said.
As Stephen Fleming pointed out after the game. Dhoni training sessions are based on need.
“I can assure you that he didn’t do any wicket hold practice during the IPL. It’s only natural. He tried to do a hold session with Devon Conwaywho is an international wicket-keeper, and it was almost comical,” Fleming said.
“Today was phenomenal, the style he does it in is brilliant. That stumping is MS Dhoni at his best. That’s nature, he learned tennis ball cricket and that’s just a sheer skill,” Fleming added.
The impact player rule will give Dhoni a chance to keep maybe wickets for 20 overs but not use himself as a hitter except on a few occasions.
“Look, he knows, his powerful striking game is long gone. Like Monday, he edged Ravindra Jadeja. You could say it’s because of maintaining the left-right combination, but even then he tried his luck because there were 15 balls left. .
“If Jadeja had come out before him and got a duck on first pitch, Dhoni might not have been able to finish the game,” a former CSK player told PTI when asked what he did. what the skipper thought.
So will he play next season? “My hunch is that he won’t play as a hitter anymore. He might play a few more games and check if he can lead the team from the dugout without being on the field. By the time he cracks that code , he won “I don’t play anymore. For that, if you read Fleming’s words, he would try to get Devon Conway into that slot,” the former player said.
After all, MSD is CSK and CSK is MSD.
