An open letter to MS Dhoni requesting him to be back as Vintage Dhoni

Dear MSD,

Greetings!

It was devastating to see you bow out of the IPL league stage for the first time ever in the history of the tournament. They say every legend has to go through a few low points in his life and career. Maybe you are going through one. For the first time ever, I am able to see the agony in your eyes. The worried anxious expression reflects the storm you are braving in your mind.

Mahi bhai, you are a legend. You have given us what no other Indian has, in a sport which is more than a religion to us Indians. The dapper look which has faded away over the years is itself a proof of your hard work and effort towards your job.

But you seem to have gone into a shell to balance things out. And unfortunately, the pendulum is somehow tilting towards the negative side.

At this stage, I would plead you to leave your selfless attitude. Mahi bhai, this is the time to bounce back hard. This is the time to chuck those Indian cricketers whom you have steadfastly supported over the years despite their consistent failure.

This is the time to be harsh. This is the time to grow your long locks. This is the time to promote yourself up the order. This is the time to start every innings on a slow note and end it like a Tsunami in every game.

You would have scored 5,000 more runs had you been selfish and batted higher up the order.

Of late, it’s not about the basics. Things are somehow not clicking; sometimes because of a batting failure or sometimes because of your fast bowlers who have the capability to single-handedly throw away games.

Mahi bhai, you have led India for almost a decade. You have achieved enough for our nation. There shall be a time when you have to bow out. Everyone has a span, even you have one – maybe a little longer than others owing to the tremendous fitness levels you have maintained, but not an infinite one.

This has been an era when Indian cricket has done well in almost all ICC tournaments. Mahi bhai, you have raised the bar, and I am sure even you would want this stature to be maintained in the coming years and decades.

This is the right time to leave the captaincy and groom someone like Virat Kohli. Guys like Faf Du Plessis and Brendon McCullum have admitted that CSK was an entity which could be regarded as a factory for producing captains. Being a skipper is not a small thing, it require skills – skills which have no relation to the amount of talent you have as an individual.

A skipper is someone who is literally accountable for the performance of the entire team. Kohli is still an amateur at handling the reigns. But I am sure with you by his side, he would transform into one of the best skippers to have played the game.

Some weight off your shoulders would do wonders to your game. I want my vintage Mahi bhai to take guard and thrash the bowlers to every nook and corner. There was a time when everything that you did became a trend – be it drinking milk or wearing your hair long. I want that era to be back. At your carefree best, you are the biggest rock star Indian cricket has had.

Take a break. Skip a couple of tours. Allow your hair to grow. Keep away from the public for a few months. Let no camera click your photograph. Do away with that gray hair. Transform yourself into the dude you had been. Practise those hard hitting shots like a true worshipper.

Step down as a skipper. Let people realize the aura you carry. When you are ready, announce your arrival with a new look and the most deadly and aggressive form this sport has ever witnessed.

Mahi bhai, I am sure I will get to see my vintage Dhoni soon.

Yours sincerely,

Fan would be an understatement (#MSDtilldeath)