MS Dhoni is one of the most well known cricketers and cricket being the religion in India, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that he is treated as a super God! Therefore when he announces his retirement from international cricket, it has to be the top news though heartbreaking to his fans. On 15th August, he did that very casually on Instagram, limiting his role to the club cricket level, of course being with the Chennai Super Kings.
Way back in 2014, he had retired from Test cricket and now he is off from ODIs and T20s too. He is close to 40 years of age, and is considered as the most successful captains of Indian cricket, having led Team India to victories in the ICC WT20 (2007), ICCWorld Cup (2011), and ICC Champions trophy (2013), in addition to taking India as the No.1 in Test Cricket, in 2009.
There are plenty of statistics and records on his name and everyone knows that. But it has to be admitted that he is one of the best finishers of the game and the act of finishing, he had performed with high percentage of success for his team and the country. Tense situations like 2 overs and 40 runs to win was never impossible for him.
So long as cricket exists, his name will be stamped on it with a shot that is patented to him, the *”Helicopter Shot”*, and there are very few cricketers who are privileged to have a shot on their name!
Let us look at his attitude and behaviour. The first is the calm composure that he maintains, even at the most trying times in the field. A stadium with a hundred thousand people and 21 players other than MS Dhoni would have their heart in their mouth but here is the captain cool, either behind the wicket or facing the seamer at the crease, as if everything is normal. It is surprising how he does that, and that is the secret of his success.
The equanimity with which he faces both success and failure, neither chest thumping nor going into depression, that is Dhoni the captain. Also, he always kept a clear distance from the media, where too much of indulgence would go for adulation or crucification, his connect with them was on a need basis. Once I remember Watching the ‘nation wants to know’ Arnab Goswami going after Dhoni’s blood in his ‘Newshour’ program but there was complete silence (I would say, ignoring) from his side, with no response, not even a Tweet! For a celebrity cricketer who is always in the limelight, whose nations will die for the game, Dhoni had acquitted himself with aplomb, something that we do not see in his successor.
As much he had given to the game, the game also gave back to him, for, he is one of the richest sports persons in the country. For someone who started the career as a Ticket Examiner in Railways, MS Dhoni had come off age into the top bracket of sports across the globe!
Surely, he will not fade away or merge into the back drop. Like ‘dada’ Ganguly, Dravid, Srinath & Ravi Shastry, he would be around the game as an administrator or coach/manager or commentator. The game of cricket needs people like MS. I am sure he would plan his second innings accordingly.
Based on a video, which was a gist of a series of interviews MS Dhoni had given in the past, I had collated the learnings from the same for all of us to understand his mindset, something which is eminently emulatable not only in sports but in life too. Her it goes:
1. Keep things simple
2. Devote your time & attention to your cause/purpose
3. Be honest, have ethics and principles in life
4. It is important to find out what works for you and go with that
5. Understanding your limitations will give you the confidence to perform better
6. Thinking of results will not give you results
7. Only process will deliver the results
8. Focus on the controllables for better results
9. Always improve your execution
10. Take care of small things in life
11. Fight life with a smile
12. Going through tough periods in life makes you a better human being.
Here is wishing the captain cool, MS Dhoni the best in his future endeavours. Thank you captain for the entertainment!
