MS Dhoni and CSK get first-hand experience of Kolkata’s warm hospitality

By the end of the 19th over, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had plundered 218 runs for the loss of just three wickets. It meant the visitors had all but batted the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) out of the game. More tellingly, it had scotched the hopes of the 60,000 people who had turned up, clad in yellow, to watch a legend bat for perhaps one last time.

In the four previous matches he was required to bat, MS Dhoni hadn’t come out before No. 8. Barring the Rajasthan Royals (RR) game, not more than 10 deliveries were left when the former India skipper strode out to the middle.

The 41-year-old is nursing a knee injury, which further compelled us to think, someone who can run fast between the sticks would be sent even if a wicket fell in the last over. And then there was a twist. There’s always a twist in the tale, when it comes to MS Dhoni.

As pacer Kulwant Khejroliya was marking his run-up for the final over of yet another shoddy bowling display from KKR, the crowd at Eden Gardens went berserk. People who didn’t even know what evoked the loud cheers, participated in the reverberation. It was a case of Kolkata’s collective subconscious taking over – fans were clueless, yet they knew the 19th over of a CSK innings is ‘MSD Time’.

For a brief period, even the camera persons were left in the dark. And then, all lenses focused on the CSK dugout. Everyone now got to see on the big screen, that the big man was sitting on the front row with his typically big pads on. The cheers got even louder in anticipation.

Ravindra Jadeja, promoted to No. 5, smoked two sixes off the first three balls. But the broadcasters just couldn’t stay away from having their cameras on MS Dhoni. There had already been a couple of instances earlier in the innings, when shouts of ‘We want Dhoni’ sailed around the gargantuan venue. Those waves again got their winds back.

The fourth delivery – another full toss from Khejroliya – but this time, Jadeja found the hands of deep square leg. The chants, the cheers, the emotions, the sentiments – all the build-up – reached a crescendo. And then, there was anti-climax, or so it seemed.

The third-umpire had to be summoned to check if the ball was going above Jadeja’s waistline. If you were seated in the stands behind/beside the CSK tent, you could see Ambati Rayudu standing and adjusting his helmet. The decibels went down a few notches. There was a sinking feeling of being so close, yet so far.

But if it’s the final over of an innings and you are banking on MS Dhoni, the odds of disappointment are higher than that of jubilation. The wait seemed like an eternity. The umpire finally deemed it to be a fair delivery; Jadeja started his long walk back and you could almost hear hearts beating faster than ever.

It was a moment which saw manifestation occupy the front seat. It was an instance of people being expectant and almost being certain of their expectations getting fulfilled, despite knowing that the scales were tilted towards the other side. It was unreal to the extent of sending shivers down the spine. It was poetic.

The moment finally arrived. MS Dhoni, in his eccentric gait, started the march to join Ajinkya Rahane in the middle. The stands started getting illuminated with the phone camera flashlights. The cheers escalated into screams. All the tedious commute, the huge queues to enter the ground, the face paints, the overpriced jerseys, the 3x ticket prices, the back pain given by the hard seats, blood, sweat, everything suddenly seemed worth it.

The World Cup-winning captain was welcomed to the crease by yet another full toss from the left-arm pacer. The angle from over the wicket took the ball away from Dhoni and his heave met thin air. But there was more drama. The umpires again went upstairs to check the trajectory, this time signaling a no-ball. It sent the crowd into a frenzy – a free-hit with the greatest finisher on strike.

19.5 was a carbon copy of 19.4 with MSD swinging but missing the umpteenth full toss. Khejroliya finally managed to hit the blockhole on the final ball of the innings. Dhoni dug it out, sent it to a charging long off and, with a dodgy knee, managed to scamper back for the second.

Two off three balls. But it didn’t matter. The fans got their desired treat of watching Dhoni bat, and CSK reached 235 for four at the end of 20 overs.

If you lived the aforementioned journey of 10-odd minutes, you’d be forced to think MS Dhoni came out before his number just to acknowledge the crowd. At the toss, he recalled his job as a ticket collector in Kharagpur as a possible explanation for the large swathes of CSK fans at an away venue.

Dhoni has been anything but a crowd pleaser, but all the stars seemed to align for the Kolkatans around 9:10 p.m. on April 23.

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Love for MS Dhoni paints Eden Gardens yellow

CSK are top of the IPL 2023 table with 5 wins from 7 games [Credits: CSK]

The Knights came into the fixture on the back of three straight losses. At a time when a team is slipping towards the foot of the table, it would seek full support from its fans. But if you’d have rocked up to Eden Gardens on Sunday evening, from the gates to the stands – all you’d have seen was a sea of yellow.

Because of the structure and its reduced capacity, the venue doesn’t generate the kind of noise that it once used to. And the roars can barely be heard outside these days. But the KKR-CSK match was a phenomenon. As MS Dhoni did the warm-up drills on the field in CSK’s sleeveless kit, those walking on Red Road could hear the thunderous reception. The chants of ‘Dhoni Dhoni’ started even as people lined up inside the barricades to walk to their respective gates.

And once you made your way into the ground, you’d have mistaken it for the Chepauk in Chennai. It was like how one feels after the lights come back on after a power-cut. The number of yellow flags and jerseys were blinding, and head and shoulders above the KKR ones. The CSK fans themselves must have been left stunned by their attendance. Even the RCB game in Kolkata witnessed Virat Kohli on a thousand backs, but MS Dhoni’s fanfare and adulation seemed peerless.

You could now imagine why Ravi Shastri asked MS Dhoni at the toss about the unusually skewed support. He might have made an entry in the last over, but the chants for him were spread throughout the innings. The DJ who normally asks the crowd to get behind the home team, initiates the Mexican Waves, stuck to just playing songs.

Every CSK run, every CSK boundary, was cheered on. As Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane marauded the KKR bowlers, the Chennai theme song was played quite frequently and the crowd didn’t miss a chance to groove. Deepak Chahar, DJ Bravo - you name it - even those outside the fence had chants going for them.

On the contrary, when Jason Roy and Rinku Singh steadied KKR’s ship with a 65-run stand, Eden Gardens fell silent. It again found its voice when Maheesh Theekshana uprooted the former’s middle stump to put the result to bed.

In many ways, Sunday evening’s blockbuster was reminiscent of the India versus South Africa ODI at the same venue in November 2005. The crowd was arrayed against the hosts and then coach Greg Chappell for keeping local hero Sourav Ganguly out of the side. So much so that, Rahul Dravid getting castled by Charl Langeveldt drew as much applause as Graeme Smith finishing on an unbeaten 134.

“I will just say thanks for the support, they came in big numbers. Most of these guys will come in a KKR jersey next time. They are trying to give me a farewell, so thanks a lot to the crowd,” MS Dhoni said at the post-match presentation.

People love him more than any other cricketer. His unparalleled success is definitely inspirational, but it is the hardships he faced and overcame that people relate to most.

One day, there will be one final curtain call of MS Dhoni. But as the man himself preaches and practices, it is important to live in the moment. The Super Kings are now top of the table and look all set to play the playoffs at home, in front of actual CSK fans.