For Dhoni fans, IPL 2023 has been a carnival, a celebration and the wholly gratifying outcome at the end was more or less preordained.
While the adulation of fans is a capricious commodity for most celebrities, it has always been a linear, upward gradient for Thala, as MSD is now called fondly. He is the man who can do no wrong. Such is the fondness for him that even a disastrous season like 2022 caused not even a minor dent in his popularity.
In fact, I think the average CSK fans desires the following outcomes from any CSK match, in exactly this order of priority:
1. Dhoni gets a couple of DRS decisions right.
2. Dhoni makes a fielding change and a wicket falls.
3. Dhoni looks so calm even as faecal matter hits the fan at various points in the match.
4. Yes, it would be nice if CSK wins the match.
Somewhat reminiscent of the cult status that Tendulkar had achieved in the ‘90s. If Sachin hit a century, it was ok if India lost the match. In Thala’s case, this tendency to put personal achievement over the team is even more pronounced.
Let’s delve into the mind of a typical CSK supporter and relive some key moments of the IPL 2023 final :
The Toss : When it comes to the toss, captains win some and lose some. But Thala knows a critical toss when he sees one. GT would have also wanted to bowl first, so this was a must-win toss for CSK. And he delivered! What a captain!!
GT Innings, Over 6.0, 62 / 0 : Chennai being taken to the cleaners. But Thala is as inscrutable as ever. While at this point most captains will be showing desperation, maybe even letting go at the bowlers, Thala is not giving the slightest hint of being in anyway concerned with the proceedings. He has so much confidence in his bowlers’ ability to think for themselves and in his batsmen’s abilities to chase down any total! What a leader!
GT Innings, Over 6.5 : Oh my god, that stumping, Thala moves like greased lightning. Gill completely outthought by Thala.
CSK Innings, Over 6.0 : Powerplay over. Chennai at 72 / 0. You have to marvel at the strategic acumen shown by Thala in shaping Ruturaj and Conway into one of the most lethal opening pairs in the history of the world. And he’s not even trying to take credit for this. What humility!
CSK Innings, Over 12.4 : Dhoni out first ball. But look at the man’s face! No reaction, no disappointment. While he would have wanted to take CSK to the finish line, he is secure in the feeling that others will do so; and he doesn’t mind the glory going to them. What a selfless leader!
CSK Innings, Over 14.4 : 3 runs from the first 4 balls of the last over. You have to give credit to Dhoni for grooming Mohit Sharma into the miserly yorker machine that he has become. All those seasons with CSK have to count for something. A man who can truly make gold from common metal. MSD the alchemist!
CSK Innings, Over 14.4 : With 22 runs required from 14 balls, CSK play out 12 balls and score 12 runs, leaving 10 from the last 2. This is classic Dhoni the risk taker. Sure, they could won with 5 balls to spare, but then where is the thrill? CSK have lost a few matches in the past when they had them in the pocket due to their penchant for slowing things down especially when victory is in easy sight. But no one can deny that they were admirably calm through these losses, an ability that no other team possesses. Clearly, Dhoni’s serenity has rubbed off on the entire CSK dressing room. In any case, Thala knows that winning with a flourish (remember that 6 in 2011 to win the World Cup?) is everything. What a great gambler!
CSK Innings, Over 14.5 : That intense calmness that Thala displayed in the dug-out seems to have completely messed up Mohit Sharma’s accuracy. Sixer! 4 more to go.
CSK Innings, Over 15.0 : This time, Thala did not even look up. All his faculties focused on the ground, he’s not watching the last ball. Despite his bent face, you could see the tightening jawline, the tense sinews, the rippling muscles and the general aspect of a man who was, through sheer will power, driving events in a certain direction. Why he didn’t do this in IPL 2018 final, where CSK lost off the last ball to a slower one from Malinga, is one of those enduring mysteries of the universe that will perhaps be unraveled at some point in the future. Anyway, poor Mohit stood no chance and strayed down the leg. Match over. The complete man…
For the record, the CSK team :
Captain, Batsman, Wicketkeeper, Mentor, Fearless Leader, Motivator, DRS King : M S Dhoni.
Also Played : R. Gaekwad, D. Conway, A. Rahane, S. Dube. A. Rayudu, R. Jadeja, M. Ali, D. Chahar, T. Deshpande, M. Theekshana, M. Patheerana.
Truth be told though, I think Thala cannot react anymore even if he wants to. As Vadivelu says in a film, “Naan Rowdinu form ayittenya…”. Meaning, the world sees him in the form of a Rowdy, so he has to do Rowdy things whether he likes it or not. Similarly, Thala has now been “formed” as Captain Cool. He is now doomed to be a captive to this image of inscrutability. Even if he may chaff at it now and then, he has to live up to the ice cool image and appear unconcerned with whatever a cruel world throws at him …
The good news is that the cup of happiness will continue to giveth. Apparently, Thala is not retiring. Yet. Something tells me that Thala and Srini Mama have more to give to CSK and IPL. May the party go on…
However, when all is said and done, while I yield to no one when it comes to deifying Thala, I do think that the great man has to share a large part of the credit in this case. The fact that CSK has dismantled the fancied teams from the maximum city to the Hindi heartland, the fact that whistle podu, a semi-Tamil phrase has caught the fancy of fans across the country; all these point to a larger message if you look keenly enough. This is as much a triumph of the Dravidian model which our Chief Minister has been cultivating so assiduously in Tamil Nadu. And the fact that it scored against the Gujarat model should decisively put the “which is the better model?” debate to rest apart from being a clear harbinger of what’s to come in the 2024 elections…
In sum, you will realize that IPL 2023, if you possess the farsightedness to perceive things beyond the obvious, is actually a Blow to Modi (for more on that subject, click here)…
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