MSD: Is it always about him?

Well! Here goes the world – opportunistic, always waiting for the right time – only to criticize. What if we had won the match? I am damn sure no one would have talked about Dhoni. And if someone does talk, the next thing that comes, “Dhoni takes all the credit”. Is every cricket match always about criticizing him? And if everything goes right and we have nothing else to say, we conclude – “Dhoni is lucky”. It is a game and let’s learn to accept victory and defeat. And above all, let’s learn not to blame a single person for the result, especially when it is something which should be done with team work. I would refer to Dhoni’s words as lessons – they certainly teach us a lot in this context.

Till yesterday, people always believed “Dhoni is not fit for tests and he is never a good test player”. He proved them all wrong by doing well on the field. And today, because of one single match lost by one single run, the same people say, “Dhoni is playing test cricket in T20”. Don’t they realize they are unknowingly using two contradictory (and false) statements merely for purpose of accusation? MSD has answered the former with his bat and very soon, he will answer the latter in the same manner.

Regardless of winning or losing, Dhoni’s contribution to the team as a finisher, is always important. He has got his own style of finishing off. It has happened so many times that by the time he walks into the ground, there is immense pressure built up. He deals with the situation in a composed manner. He is quick between the wickets and never misses out on an opportunity to hit. At the same time, he will never back off and keep the strike to himself. He grabs every single run possible and takes the team one step closer to success. Him choosing an inappropriate shot is almost improbable. He is always an asset to the team, be it Test, ODI or T20. Adding to this are his stupendous captaincy and keeping skills. All these qualities make him a great player and we, mere fans, are in no position to label him not suitable for playing a format.

With complete confidence, I say that the Indian team will move on from this one T20 loss and will resurge with positive energy. It is time for us to cheer MSD and his men up and wish them all the best for the upcoming Twenty 20 World Cup.

To relive the moments of us winning a World Cup, and also one of the beautiful finishing shots from Dhoni, here are the last balls from ICC Cricket World Cup, 2011.