Captain Dhoni, an aberration in the age of super egos

Beyond the rustic charm, he has the style and dash of an urban hipster; beyond the innocent, wide-eyed look, he has a razor-sharp brain that quickly unravels the mysteries of the game, if not life itself.

Yes, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an aberration in the age of super egos and extra-sensitive souls: he doesn’t care if people make fun of him; he doesn’t mind if ads, highlighting his weaknesses, are made. He somehow manages to come out of even them looking chic and cool.

A long, long time ago, he arrived on the scene, swaying like a hippie: long hair, loud glares and almost-loud flares. Behind the stumps, he wasn’t smooth or invisible: he mostly jumped around, pouncing at every passing delivery like a frog; before them, he used his bulging biceps and brute power to bushwhack the bowlers.

Since then, of course, he steadily transformed into the fictional swan. The unruly mane made way for an elegant short cut; the collection became cleaner and minimalistic behind the stumps; the shots acquired a different kind of sheen and he wasn’t scared of defending anymore.

Beyond all that, however, a bigger transformation was taking place within: Dhoni was quietly moving up and becoming a leader. He didn’t really go down on his knees to study the pitches; he didn’t step into the minds of bowlers to understand their psyches either. He just towered over everybody else with his ice-cold demeanour and nerveless handling of tricky situations.

The world, especially India, didn’t give him a whit when he took a young side to the Twenty20 World Cup; he exploited the indifference to chart the country to the finals and more. In one stroke, he made India the champions and himself became the new darling of the country.

In victory, he was pure and dignified. But wasn’t there an element of fortune in the triumph? Did he get lucky with Joginder Sharma in the final over, not once but twice? The detractors were lurking with their sharpened tongues and poisoned pens.

Dhoni was ready though. As the ad world chased him, as Bollywood stars accepted him in their elite ring, he was evolving. The stroke-buster was making way for a steadier hand; he wasn’t going to risk all that he had gained in the name of high-entertainment, or a flurry of fours and sixers. He had crossed that stage a long time ago.

At home, against Australia, and even in the IPL, we saw his new dimension: he wasn’t just a ‘batter’er anymore; he was the captain and he put a bigger price on his wicket. He devolved most of the responsibility to his mates, encouraging them to carve out their own destinies. The fear factor around the Indian team slowly evaporated.

In Australia, he took the baton from Anil Kumble and led the side in an equally exemplary manner. The latter set the tone for a true-blue battle; but Dhoni took it to its logical conclusion: a first ever Tri-series triumph Down Under. There were defeats, even some embarrassments on the way. But the players were learning, growing.

It may just be a coincidence but one after the other, the seniors were fading out. Dravid and Ganguly made unceremonious exits; Tendulkar’s absence is not catastrophic anymore. Dhoni’s brand of cricket and his band of players were taking over. How long do they need to complete the ambush?

The signs were ominous in Sri Lanka. India got washed away in the Mendis storm; the masters of spin had no answers against his accuracy or Murali’s guile. If the Tendulkars and Dravids and Gangulys couldn’t master the tweaker, what chance did Dhoni have against them? The nightmare in Pakistan was still a fresh memory.

But Dhoni, who had broken every norm by pulling out of the Test series, had other designs. He unravelled the Mendis maze in his own way, leading from the front, scoring runs patiently and scripting an amazing turnaround. The series victory in the Emerald Isle was probably tougher than the one in Australia.

Clearly, the rustic has come a long way; given his record, he surely has a long way to go still. The big debate, however, has already started: Can he become any more cooler? Any more hipper? Indeed, is he ready for the Test captaincy too?