The mystery that surrounds Mahendra Singh Dhoni
His face reveals nothing. He does not get elated after victory, nor crestfallen after defeat. What is he thinking? Do the visceral emotions of sport affect him?
MS Dhoni has been an enigma in Indian sport - a man who has lived out a fairy tale on a cricket field. For the last decade and a half, he has been in the public eye.
But then, the more we see him, the more inaccessible he seems to get. The mask, with every passing year, has only lengthened. That is the most unique aspect of the Dhoni phenomenon.
It was the year 2011. April 2nd. Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, the final of the ICC World Cup. India needed four runs to win off 11 balls, and Dhoni was on strike…..
Kulasekara bowled the ball on off stump, Dhoni connected it with the middle of the bat, and it flew into the crowd. Millions of Indians erupted in unbridled joy across the country and his team-mates and the support staff ran in wildly to celebrate the historic moment.
Tendulkar had tears in his eyes and Harbhajan was weeping like a child. Yuvraj came running and hugged his Captain.
But then, in the midst of all this, the man himself - Dhoni was unfazed. After the victory, it was not Dhoni, but Tendulkar who was carried around the stadium. Dhoni just slipped away backstage, allowing the master to get the limelight.
What was going on in Dhoni’s mind? Whatever it was, it added mystery to the man, and created the aura around him.
Let us now move forward to the year 2014. India were 2-0 down in the Test series against Australia. Dhoni, the then Indian Test Captain had just played a fighting innings and helped India salvage a draw in the third Test at the MCG.
After the match, he came and sat in the press conference…
He casually told the media that he had just played his last Test for the country. It came as an absolute shocker. No one had expected this kind of a bombshell to drop in the middle of an overseas series.
At that time, Dhoni was just 32 years old. He was the Captain of the Indian Test team, had age on his side, and was undoubtedly the best Indian wicketkeeper ever.
But then, he stumped all of us on that day…
Why did he do it? Again, only he knows.
But then again, it added to the mystery and the aura around him.
Now let us move to the year 2016. The Rising Pune Supergiant were taking on Kings XI Punjab, and the equation for the Pune outfit boiled down to 12 runs required off the last 2 balls.
Dhoni was on strike….
He just whacked two sixes off Axar Patel that sailed into the crowd, and took his side to victory. As his team-mates and the fans celebrated wildly, their hero stood there, unflustered. It was as if it was just another day at the office for Dhoni.
Nobody knows how he managed to do it, but then again, it added to the mystery.
Now, fifteen years is a long time in any Sport. And that too, in a country like India, where every move by an Indian cricketer is observed and scrutinised by millions of fans, Dhoni has managed to create a cocoon around himself.
There is an aura that surrounds the man, and with every passing year, the mask has only thickened.
The thing is, it is time for us to stop trying to understand Dhoni. For, however much we try, Dhoni will continue to remain absolutely inaccessible.
For, he has always done things the ‘Dhoni way’, and it is impossible for anyone of us to decode the enigma that he is.