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If I were M.S. Dhoni

May 15, 2010 by Leave a Comment

 

If I were Dhoni, my thoughts would be running in a hundred different directions right now. I would be preparing what to say to the BCCI, I would be wondering why I performed poorly and where the team went wrong . Hardly 3 years ago, people had only good things to say about my batting and my captaincy. Now I am made out to be the villain. Is it pack-up time now, I wonder!


I realise that one can’t rest on past laurels and that public memory is short. When you perform, you are treated like god and when you don’t, the public shows no mercy. I remember my house being attacked when the Indian team lost to Bangladesh in the opening match of the World cup in 2007.

 

Where did I err? Did all the adulation, money and power get to my head? I cannot say for sure but something has definitely changed. The mirror does not reflect a fresh and energetic face anymore. I look quite haggard and tired. Is my body tired out by playing too many matches and is it crying for rest? As I reflect, I wonder if IPL matches have gained more prominence in my life than matches where I represent the country. The emotions which I experienced when Chennai Super Kings reached the semifinals of IPL 2010 by beating Kings XI Punjab and the joy when we lifted the IPL cup have not been felt by me of late, when I have played for India.
 

 

My batting form has somehow managed to desert me. That would still have been okay, but several senior batsmen have also been playing poorly. The only hat-trick we have managed is losing matches thrice in a row. And now if the media is to be believed, I am on my way out. It seems that the fragile egos in the BCCI seem to have been affected when I blamed the IPL parties for the team’s debacle. Either I should have kept this view to myself or I should have listed the other reasons too. 
 

My strategy was at fault, my tactics misfired, I blundered in team selection, I even committed errors in field placement. I wasn’t able to motivate the team. Those members I usually rely on seemed to have issues other than cricket on their mind. Though you may feel I am being too harsh on myself, it is all perfectly true and my critics will surely agree.
 
 

You have certainly seen that a few of our team members are not only out of form but also out of shape. Of course, late night parties not only disturb your sleep, they also induce one to break other disciplines required to be followed by a cricketer. These players who used to be proud of their cricket now pride themselves on appearing in Page 3 parties. They have become arrogant and think that with their clout and reputation, they will come to no harm. They deserve strict team owners like in the IPL, where only performance and form decide your selection.
 

In the days to come, I am sure to be called by the BCCI. My defences are of course weak. In the event I am allowed to stay captain, I will have many issues to sort out for myself and for the team. I started out as Mahi, a simple middle-class boy from Ranchi. I will remember that cricket made me what I am today and that I progressed by sheer dint of hard work. My passion henceforth will not be bikes but cricket and only cricket. I will have to put in great effort to climb back the pedestal from where I fell. How I envy Vishwanathan Anand, who without any fanfare quietly retained his world crown by defeating Veselin Topalov!
 

 

Author: Pratibha Shenoy (Bangalore)

 

 

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