The moment I became a Dhoni fan

Dhoni’s approach to cricket has ‘street smart’ written all over it

Watch MS Dhoni’s clever tactic to dismiss Kieron Pollard here.

By the time the Indian fans woke up to the news of MS Dhoni relinquishing Indian captaincy, the shock waves were well and truly reverberating around the cricketing world. Social media, the print and electronic media went on an overdrive. The timing of the news was just as good as his helicopter shot, which he rarely miss-timed.

It didn't take time for Dhoni to realise the air in the dressing room. The Virat Kohli era has well and truly begun. The glitter of the diamond called ‘Kohli’ must be so bright in the dressing room that even someone of Dhoni’s stature couldn’t ignore it.

Dhoni as captain was an institution. His presence on the field as a leader was immense. His subtle placements in the field while standing behind the stumps were iconic. Very rarely do we get an all-rounder as good as Dhoni. If Kapil Dev was the greatest all-rounder that India has seen, Dhoni will certainly not be too far behind himself.

As a captain, he had the on-field charisma that others rarely possessed. You can count me as one of his biggest fans. When and how did it happen? It was during an IPL game.

My biggest Dhoni moment came in the 2010 IPL final that was played at the DY Patil stadium. Chennai Super Kings faced off against the Mumbai Indians. The game was headed for a close finish. Kieron Pollard was going berserk with his big hits and the game got to a stage where CSK had to get him out.

It was at the juncture that Dhoni, for reasons known best to him, placed a fielder almost behind the bowler on the off-side. If the placement was unusual on its own, what made it all the more unusual was the fact that a long-off was stationed as well. The set-up was a position that cannot be termed. As the bewildered connoisseurs looked on, the unimaginable happened.

To everyone's surprise, Pollard hit the next ball straight to Hayden who was standing at that unorthodox fielding position. Game Over!

That was one of the most extraordinary pieces of captaincy that I had witnessed. The beauty about Dhoni was that he still managed to keep his cool and think out of the box despite heaps of pressure.

Thank you Dhoni, for all those special moments.

Watch MS Dhoni’s clever tactic to dismiss Kieron Pollard.

While the media was going hammer and tongs over the news that emanated from Nagpur, the very same day a kid was taking his baby steps in first-class cricket. In the semi-finals of the Ranji Trophy at Rajkot, as Mumbai were chasing a stiff target of 256 in the second innings, a young and promising youngster took centre stage – in fact, he commanded it.

All of 17 years of age, Prithvi Shaw was brilliant. The first thing that hits you about this kid is that he has class. What really impressed me was his temperament. He went about his business without any fuss. His technique looked sound and it appeared as though he was playing another game at a Mumbai maidan. He certainly has implemented all the learnings at the next level.

His innings oozed with confidence as his brave stroke play showed. There was also a bit of drama in store. When on 99, he pulled everyone's attention by chipping the ball in the air to the gully fielder only to realise that the bowler had overstepped. The agony of getting out on 99 on debut turned into ecstasy as he scored his hundredth run the very next ball to complete a memorable century.

He definitely is someone you need to keep an eye on.

As India's greatest ever captain enters the twilight of his career, a new dawn awaits this young kid from Mumbai. Such is the irony of the game.