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People say there are two Indias, divided by economic access. To Mahendra Singh Dhoni, there was only one. He never differentiated by class, appearance, money, power or any of the usual aspects that people are judged by.
I have met him just two times in my life and both taught me that humility is as much a part of his greatness as his talent, skill and interpersonal relationships. The first time I saw him was at Wankhede Stadium. The Indian cricket team was coming onto the field from the dressing rooms, and as the captain, I was expecting MSD to lead his team out. To my surprise, he came out last, after every single other team member. What kept him? Well he was talking to the ball boys, sharing tips with those wide-eyed youngsters and joking with the coaching kids. He even shared wicket-keeping tips with a young aspirant. For these children, it was a dream to get even a signature from a national cricketer, let alone actually getting to speak to the iconic captain. The second time was when Dhoni’s IPL team – Chennai Super Kings had come to Mumbai for a match. The team was staying at ITC Grand Central in Parel. The rest of the team was enjoying themselves, standing around together and laughing aloud. MSD, on the other hand, was sitting aside, talking to people – with a welcoming smile and warmth in his eyes. It didn’t matter if the people who approached him were not recognisable faces, he spoke with an unhurried willingness to just about everybody.
I have started by talking about his humility, but let me put this in context. He came from a small city with nothing much to boast about. His education didn’t speak volumes for him, what saw him through was his character. He came from nowhere, but he taught an entire nation how to win. He worshiped the greats, but he went on to redefine greatness. He drew inspiration from everyone around him and he went on to inspire everyone – great and small. So what made Dhoni the man, Mahi the legend? I would say it was his attitude. Sachin Tendulkar had technique, he was a delight to watch. Dhoni, on the other hand, didn’t have a conventional copybook style. Yet he won; he won both matches and hearts.
Gary Kirsten once said that if he had to go to war and could choose just one person to take with him, it would be Dhoni. True; Dhoni led with power, perseverance and determination. He has said in several interviews that he never made grand plans for the future. He focused on the task at hand, on the team around him, on the nation that revered him…and he went from ball to ball, from match to match and lived up to the dreams of a billion Indians without letting the pressure show on his face. He had fire in his belly, but calmness in his eyes. He was Captain Cool, but with warmth in his smile. He has been a people’s person and made remarkable fans for life.
As a much loved captain, Dhoni made several statements that stood testament to his character and he lived by every one of his own beliefs. For instance, he said that it’s unfortunate that people play a team sport, yet it’s the captain who lifts the cup. True to his statement, MSD always shared the spotlight – on occasion, he stood in the shadows of his own teammates and supported them on their journeys to become heroes. Look at Virat Kohli (who he often referred to as My Captain), Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja or Ravichandran Ashwin – all very different players, with one man to thank for some crucial successes. MSD’s phenomenal success as a team leader can also be attributed to the fact that he always played on people’s individual strengths. He never forced a person to master something that didn’t come naturally to them – he helped them develop their strengths until they excelled.
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But how did he accomplish all this? Dhoni read the game like an artist. He made the right moves. He has always been a hustler – with the primary objective being to get the job done. His strategies were par excellence. When he entered the game, there were legendary seniors who he managed with care – Sourav Ganguly, Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh. Dhoni’s secret has always been to lead with respect and that won him the hearts of both the old guard and fresh talent. He played for the nation and never for himself. That’s why he was able to come up with winning strategies like focusing on fresh talent and unconventional steps for growth.
Dhoni has always been the solutions guy. No one who ever came to him for advice turned away empty handed. Dhoni’s decisions were profound and he shared his wisdom with a large heart. That over against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup where he decided to get Joginder Sharma on, when he played Ishant Sharma at the ICC Champions Trophy against England, when he promoted himself in the batting order for the 2011 World Cup – were all decisions that first shocked the nation and then awed it. These are just a handful of examples out of the many that mesmerized his legions of fans.
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His opponents respected him as much as his own teammates – not just because of his on-field performance, but also because of his off-field behaviour. He was a true ambassador of the game. If you ever saw him hold a trophy, you’d see that he’d have it only for a few moments before passing it on to the younger people in the team – he always did that; he supported the youth and ensured Indian cricket always had a future.
MSD has never been flamboyant, but whatever he did had a natural style. Even when he retired, he did so without shouting it from the rooftop. All he posted was “From 1929 hrs consider me as retired.” there were no victory laps, no drama on the ground. That was it. That was all it took to break a nation’s heart.
Goodbye Captain.
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