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Dhoni, Pant and the fading glory of cricket’s superstars

ByAmrit Mathur
May 21, 2025 07:00 PM IST

This trend of cricket downsizing reputations and taking down the superstar culture is visible this IPL, writes Amrit Mathur

With Rohit and Virat’s retirement two big wickets fell, and one unexpected fallout of their exit is Indian cricket’s ‘superstar culture’ is nearing its expiry date.

This IPL 2025, a visible trend has emerged wherein reputations of stars such as MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant are being downsized and superstar culture is being taken down (Shrikant Singh/ANI)
This IPL 2025, a visible trend has emerged wherein reputations of stars such as MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant are being downsized and superstar culture is being taken down (Shrikant Singh/ANI)

When questions were asked after India were drubbed at home by New Zealand and overseas by Australia, disturbing truths spilled out. Distressing details of the toxic dressing room culture of leaks, disagreements and divisions in the team. These reports could be exaggerated but it appeared players were on their own trip: staying in hotels of their choice, using private cars instead of team bus, accompanied by large entourages comprising family, children, cook, masseur, media manager.

This represented an unprecedented, and unacceptable, collapse of team tradition and the SOPs when touring abroad.

Signs of this crisis were visible for a while. The disinterest of top stars in domestic cricket was no secret. Giving Ranji Trophy a miss was an indication players chose to play by their own rules. The superstars lived in a bubble of celebrity, they called the shots, and the grind of four-day red ball cricket did not excite them.

That had to correct. When BCCI cracked the whip to make Ranji mandatory players dutifully presented themselves, but a rude jolt awaited them. Most superstars failed and multiple times winners Mumbai were humiliated by Jammu and Kashmir. In another stern warning, players were reminded of guidelines during tours that limited family time and luggage allowance. To drive home the point, state associations were instructed to strip all VIP privileges provided to the big boys.

Which shows life, Sensex and cricket are alike – what goes up comes down and the law of averages catches up. This trend of cricket downsizing reputations and taking down the superstar culture is visible this IPL.

One prime example is the spectacular decline of Rishabh Pant, the megastar who is struggling for form and is burdened by his huge price tag. After the auction, his franchise explained the ‘science’ and the strategic thought behind the record breaking 27 crore purchase, and presented the decision as a business triumph. Venkatesh Iyer is another player who is overhyped, overpriced – another instance of numbers not adding up.

IPL has been unkind to ageing superstars, and the list of those struggling this year is long. MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja – champion players for years – have seen better days. Their glory was yesterday; today is uncertain and tomorrow could be very unfriendly.

MSD is an absolute legend but one wonders at his current situation. A shadow of his glorious self, it’s not nice to see the giant shrink with each passing game. He bravely fronts up before TV cameras after every CSK defeat to explain what went wrong and lists the “areas” that need to be addressed. Loyal fans devotedly follow him across the country to give him an extended farewell, but MSD surely must have a private conversation with himself to plan his future.

Rohit’s case is different. He is a white-ball tiger and five-time IPL winning captain, but in the current MI set-up he steps on the field only to bat. Otherwise, he is planted in the dugout, wearing the impact player bib. Literally, an emperor without robes.

In a way it’s uncanny that cricket and films, India’s top two sources of popular entertainment, follow a similar script. Divided at one level (the real versus reel narrative) yet united in the sense that both are unforgiving, both face a high degree of performance pressure. In films, the box office decides the fate on the first weekend. In cricket, the scorebook decides your worth. If numbers are not right, it’s time for the innings to end. As in cricket, the Bollywood superstars are experiencing turbulence. Suddenly, the good days have vanished, the shine has faded and the magic gone.

Rohit and Virat have made tough career-altering calls. The former left Tests keeping in mind his horror run of the last 15 innings where he made 164 runs. Virat saw an uncertain future, heard his inner voice and moved on.

Their twin exits are a moment of sadness because these cricket superstars made the game richer and we celebrated their extraordinary skills. For cricket followers, Rohit’s audacious front foot pull and Kohli’s clinical efficiency in tough situations will remain a precious memory.

But sporting success is transient, legal tender only for a while. It’s like a short duration Schengen visa, not a lifelong Aadhar card. That’s a lesson Indian cricket superstars have learnt.

Catch all the latest Cricket News, Cricket Schedule, ICC Rankings and live score . Follow top players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and stay updated on every thrilling moment from the India vs England series with including IND vs ENG LIVE News.
Catch all the latest Cricket News, Cricket Schedule, ICC Rankings and live score . Follow top players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and stay updated on every thrilling moment from the India vs England series with including IND vs ENG LIVE News.
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