Despite a dry run, Chennai want MSD to keep whistling

The CSK cult hero, more than anyone else, will decide if there is more cricket in him.

This IPL, we have seen more of MS Dhoni on our TV screens between overs than at the centre with the bat. Commercials often have no sense of timing, sometimes pitching Dhoni selling a product immediately after he’s ended a sluggish stay at the wicket. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain has tried to bat through muscle memory. But at 40, when you haven’t had any cricket for months, outdoing well-oiled bowling units who have studied your weaknesses becomes hard. Ninety-six runs in 14 matches, averaging 13.71 at a strike rate of 95 are Dhoni’s worst IPL returns ever.

MS Dhoni captain of Chennai Super Kings (PTI)

But his mind hasn’t stop ticking. CSK are through to the playoffs and the man who has led them to three titles before continues to marshal troops with authority. His batting form didn’t deter Dhoni from declaring at the team owners’ event this week that CSK fans would get to see his farewell in Chennai. That would mean at least one more season as a player. Dhoni changed tack on Thursday when he said at the toss that he couldn’t be sure if he would play in 2022. “You can see me in yellow, whether I’ll be playing for CSK, there are lot of uncertainties,” he said. For a man who is expected to transition into coaching and mentoring CSK after he calls time on his playing career, Dhoni may want to think through if it is worth blocking a heavy sum from their salary purse to retain him on current form at the mega auction.

Not every final chapter in the MS Dhoni notebook has had such a sense of finality to it. He timed his Test retirement to perfection leaving people yearning for more. His end as India’s white-ball captain and player though were more laboured. But at CSK, he is accountable to no selector. He is the player, captain, master strategist and even more. Such is the freedom and authority boss N Srinivasan has given entrusted Dhoni with. “He is not just the man who decides who will play, he also decides who will get what allowances,” said a CSK player. “The hierarchy is clear to everyone, MS is the leader.”

More than a captain

“We want him to play next year and the year after too,” said CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan. “People may say he is not scoring runs, but a few innings don’t determine his value. He is an all-rounder who keeps the wicket and leads the side. As a captain he has contributed so much and we have no doubt that he can do more.”

Such unequivocal faith in an individual in an ultra-competitive league is unique to Dhoni, who will mentor India in the T20 World Cup. Even at Mumbai Indians (MI), where Rohit Sharma has led them to five titles, strategic roles are assigned and decision-making power on the auction table is well spread out. Virat Kohli, who has skippered Royal Challengers Bangalore for nine years, likes the support group to do the bulk of the strategic work.

When IPL began in 2008, many of the leading franchises from mega cities benefitted from marketing their respective India icons. Dhoni, a young India captain who had won the inaugural World T20, did not have a home franchise. It was Srinivasan, then a BCCI office-bearer who won him in a bidding war with MI and then flaunted him.

While trophies as India captain earned Dhoni the sobriquet of Captain Cool, a lot of the MSD cult and fandom is a product of his CSK innings. Through thick and thin, the MSD-CSK association has never wavered. For the two years that CSK were suspended after the spot-fixing scandal, Dhoni had to deal with the ignominy of losing captaincy at the Pune franchise. As soon as CSK were back, Dhoni took charge and won them the title in 2018.

In a video posted on the CSK website, Dhoni walks in to packed stands and a roaring crowd at Chepauk which has assembled only to see him train. He is holding three bats and followed by a CSK supporter who carries the rest of his equipment. Dhoni is the whistling lead on their promos, the reason behind their sustained viewership and still the poster boy to attract new sponsors.

Dhoni does not attend player auctions but he is the man Viswanathan is on phone with when big trades are in progress. Dhoni’s belief in many senior pros made for a team that was dubbed as the Dad’s army. That team went on to win the IPL title in 2018, finished finalists in 2019 and are in with another chance, this year. At CSK, Dhoni, more than anyone else, will decide if there is more cricket left in him.