Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey
MS Dhoni Tribute: A fan’s take on the great MSD | Indian fan pays tribute to Indian legend MS Dhoni
“Champions don’t leave with a bang, they do it with a whimper”. is a common saying. There is no one better in this than CAPTAIN COOL.
Be it post-Melbourne Test in 2014 when he said goodbye to Test cricket, or when he stepped down as captain three years back when no one was expecting it, nothing changed this time too. When the whole of India was celebrating the 73rd Independence Day, there comes a video notification captioning “THANKS”.
Personally, I am not a die hard Dhoni fan like millions of others, but the video makes me numb and speechless. Emotions were going wild within a few seconds. Most of his fans of my generation saw him for the first time during the 2007 World T20; that young Mahi with long hairs making unimaginable things happen.
When you think of an achievement in cricket world one finds, he has got all of them. From the World T20 to ODI World Cup. From the CB series in Australia to the Champions Trophy triumph, to India’s Test series in New Zealand to no.1 Test team under his leadership. The Indian team achieved it all under his guidance.
Also read: Twitter reacts to MS Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket
The BELIEF he earned all over the years is incredible. People believe because of him. They would say “we are a chance because Mahi is standing there” even if the team score is 29-7 or 20 is needed off the final over. In the 2019 World Cup Semi Final, people still had hope as long as Dhoni was at the crease.
In a casual lunch chat last December, he spoke his heart out to a journalist about how he kept thinking for months if things would have been different had he had dived that day, even though he had never dived in his life. He then made himself unavailable for selection, keeping the world confused. But, little did we know he himself was going through some trauma. After all, he is a normal human being, too. He then went to an army camp to try and lose himself in serving the country as a soldier, as he always said that the army is a place where I am just an another soldier and not MS DHONI.
A player who could change game with his batting, wicket keeping and captaincy has said goodbye to this beautiful game. But, life goes on and when I talk about Dhoni. It can’t be just limited to on-field Dhoni – it’s always about Dhoni the person. Coming from a middle-class family and achieving what he has, Dhoni has sent a very loud and clear message that hard work pays off in the end. Inspiring millions to work hard for their dreams, and also showing them how to remain cool and calm in tough situations is so important in life. He has inspired people to be better players, leaders and above all, a better human being.
Cricket and life throws up many twists and turns. MS Dhoni was known to be the fastest runner between the wickets but got run out in his first and last innings. It’s sport and there is no rewind button for anyone be it Sachin or MS. He is an inspiration and institution in himself. Dhoni, you have retired from internationals, but you’ll remain not out in our hearts.
Thank you #CAPTAINCOOL for everything.
Also read: Twitter reacts to MS Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket
Written by Vaibhav Mukhija. Follow Vaibhav on Twitter today.
