MS Dhoni retired long ago, but after India's T20 World Cup debacle, you miss him a tad more

It’s been more than three years since MS Dhoni last played for India. It has been more than two years since he officially announced his retirement from international cricket. It has also been more than nine years since he lifted India’s last ICC trophy and that, especially after what transpired at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday, makes you miss the former skipper a hint more.

Before you all jump the gun, label this as some sort of propaganda, talk about how Dhoni is a credit-stealer, how he pays off media to maintain his image, try understanding the logic behind it. There is a reason India only won one (two if you want to count the shared Champions Trophy win in 2000) ICC titles prior to Dhoni’s ascent as skipper. And have not managed to win a single crown since he handed over captaincy to Virat Kohli.

A captain, as many of you would have heard (although debatable), is only as good as his team. There’s also this notion that Dhoni was luckier than a lot of his predecessors and successors, in terms of the squads he inherited. Then, there’s also that narrative that Dhoni had things easier than most other Indian captains. Well, yes, he had things easier but only because he made it look easy.

In his first six years as captain, he had added multiple titles to his trophy cabinet (both domestic and international). Winning the IPL and the Champions League with a strong Chennai Super Kings squad was not as big an achievement for some. But ensuring India’s 28-year wait for an ODI World Cup ended on April 2nd, 2011, certainly was a huge deal.

Oh, and before that, he rocked up with what were cast as a bunch of misfits and greenhorns in South Africa, only to stand atop the pile. And in 2013, when the spot-fixing saga was running rampant, and he was panned for smiling away questions that he could (probably should) have answered, he masterminded an unprecedented ICC Champions Trophy triumph.

A common theme in those successes, apart from Dhoni being at the helm, was how the Indian collective almost always seemed greater than the sum of its parts. There were some all-time greats in each of those teams.

Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan at the 2011 World Cup. Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh at the 2007 T20 World Cup. Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

At no point, though, it seemed that India were just relying on moments of individual brilliance from these players – like it has been in their two most recent T20 World Cup campaigns. It would have been very easy to just sit back and hope for Sehwag or Yuvraj to carve open a game.

Or, just hope for Zaheer to sprinkle his brilliance. Or, even expect Kohli and Rohit to single-handedly win them a game of cricket. It was always about how India were going to make the most of their resources and credit, irrespective of whatever anyone says, has to go to the captain, which in this case was Dhoni.

The other underlying theme was how India had something different and unusual up their sleeve every time. In 2007, their entire squad took everyone by surprise with the conviction they showed. Then, there was that last over by Joginder Sharma, a three-wicket match-winning spell by Irfan Pathan in the final, and of course, that splendid Gambhir innings.

In 2011, it was about unlocking Yuvraj’s vast potential as an all-rounder. He might not have played the World Cup altogether, such were his returns with the bat. Dhoni, though, understood the value he would bring and ensured Yuvraj explored a different side to his game. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In 2013, no one knew when Rohit would fulfil his potential. He was inconsistent, threw his wicket away at times and looked a scratchy starter against spin. So, what did India do? Well, they threw him into the deep end at the top of the order, and that transformed Rohit completely.

Compare that to the two most recent T20 World Cup editions India have participated in. Their anchor-heavy approach cost them in 2021, and despite making plenty of noise on how they wanted to change it in Australia, they reverted to their conservative roots at the first time of asking. That their captain could not buy a run by the time the competition ended, did not help. But skippers, even if they are not scoring runs, should be able to get their message across.

Almost every cricket fan remembers what Dhoni, alongside Gambhir, accomplished in the 2011 World Cup final. Dhoni, though, had had a wretched run prior to that game. He, much like Rohit, was not scoring enough and was heavily criticised for not rising to the occasion. Even then, he looked out for his teammates and when the big game came calling, he stood up.

The most important aspect of Dhoni’s captaincy, however, was how he used to embolden players to be their truest versions. He backed players and never made them nervously glance over their shoulders. For a chunk of Rohit’s tenure, he has tried to recreate it. Dinesh Karthik and Yuzvendra Chahal, cast as two of India’s most important cogs in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, might disagree, though.

The counter-argument (you can almost sense it now) is that Dhoni was perhaps the skipper that prioritized building slowly and then teeing off at the end. India, in many respects, have just continued in a similar vein. There is truth to it too, as India painfully found out at the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final and the 50-over World Cup semi-final a year ago.

Dhoni gave Indian cricket so much that he was allowed that bit of elbow room. His staunchest critics, especially after reading this sort of praise, would quickly snap, saying he only won 3 ICC trophies, despite having ten bites at the cherry. And that is completely Dhoni’s fault. Because he made winning ICC trophies so routine, India wanted to win every time.

For context, no other captain or team has managed to win three ICC white-ball trophies (across formats) in a six-year span, as India did during 2007-2013. Yes, the 2011 World Cup was on home soil but no side had managed to win a final on their own patch either until India did so.

Akin to the 2022 edition, they faced the mighty Aussies in the semi-final in 2007. They could have crumbled, like they did against England. But they didn’t. And when looking back at history, that is what makes a particular tenure or era more glowing – it’s the ability to win the games that matter.

Rohit and Kohli have better win percentages than Dhoni

If you talk about win percentages, Kohli and Rohit have been far better than Dhoni, across both white-ball formats. Kohli and Rohit’s win percentage in T20Is is 64.58 and 76.47, respectively, considerably better than the CSK skipper’s 59.28. In ODIs too, the current pair’s win percentage of 70.43 (Kohli) and 81.25 is much better than what the wicket-keeper managed during his career.

But Dhoni does have three ICC trophies, and that is what this is about. It should count for something, right? There is a reason why those tournaments are considered the pinnacle of our sport. There is a reason why people look at those competitions as the crowning glory of their respective tenures. And there is a reason why India need to start winning those again to propel themselves as the premier white-ball outfit on the planet.

The 50-over World Cup is just under a year away, and Rohit, in all likelihood, will have a chance to make things right. Even if he does, he will only equal one-third of what Dhoni did. And that should tell you all you need to know why the former skipper is missed just that wee bit more when India stumble in crunch clashes.

The calmness, the composure, the aura – all of that can be chronicled into one meaty book. A lot of it, as some may point out, is conjecture. Dhoni had a good team etc, etc. But India have had the best team on paper for the past few years now. Yet, the trophy cabinet remains empty since 2013.

Either Dhoni was supremely lucky. Or a genius. Take your pick.