Over the years, MS Dhoni has done it again and again. In many close encounters, the most famous being the T20 World Cup final in 2007 with Joginder Sharma, and the 2011 World Cup final when he promoted himself in the batting order ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina — much to everyone’s surprise – and took India home.
A third memory, not so firmly etched in the public imagination, is how Dhoni turned the tide in the 2013 Champions Trophy final against England in Birmingham. Defending a modest 129 off 20 overs in a rain-curtailed game, Dhoni was fast running out of options, with Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara on a roll. That’s when he turned, counter-intuitively for many experts, to Ishant Sharma, who had been singled out for harsh treatment by the English.
Sitting in the Edgbaston press box, we agreed it was a huge gamble: one more bad over, and it would have been curtains for India. But, to considerable surprise, Ishant picked up two wickets in two balls, and all of a sudden, India had a chance. In another inspired tactical move, Dhoni got Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, his frontline spinners, to bowl overs 19 and 20, teasing the English batsman, far more comfortable against pace, to slog and perish. It worked, and gave Dhoni the only piece of ICC silverware missing from his and India’s collection.
But my personal favorite remains the thriller against Bangladesh in the World T20 at home in 2016. The last ball run-out that won India the match sums up Dhoni the captain. Bangladesh had all but won the match, and defeat would have put India out of the tournament. Had it happened, Dhoni may well have had to step down soon after. Captain Cool did show emotion. Any human would. But he did not lose nerve. Running out the last Bangladeshi batsman while showing incredible presence of mind, he made sure that India was alive in the tournament. Under pressure, he showed the clarity of his decision-making, something that has forever defined his captaincy.
Also Read: Gujarat Titans Seek Repeat Against Dhoni’s Evergreen CSK
The reason why that cricketing brain of his processes dynamic, on-field information well is because his calm reduces clutter, which leads to clarity of thinking. And he will need that in abundance to stop Shubman Gill.
Can Dhoni stop Gill? Perhaps the most defining battle of the final, and one that will decide which team wins the IPL Trophy. With three hundreds in last four innings, Gill is in sublime form. Another hundred in the final will get him within striking distance of Virat Kohli’s record of 973 runs in an IPL season. And that’s what Dhoni will need to stop. Getting Gill cheaply would mean half of Gujarat’s batting threat gone. As in the first playoff game at the Chepauk, Chennai could then have a stranglehold on the contest.
But it is easier said than done. Against a batter of Gill’s class and confidence, it will need something special from Dhoni.
Judging the teams on paper, Gujarat have a much stronger bowling attack. With Mohammed Shami in fantastic rhythm and Rashid Khan always on the money, Gujarat has two real match-winners in their ranks. Add Mohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Josh Little and Noor Ahmad, and you have a combination that most would agree is better than Chennai’s. And yet, CSK start on an equal footing, and that’s because of Dhoni. He would be thinking and thinking hard. Planning his every move. The perfect finish. The final farewell perhaps.
India weren’t the best team in the World T20 in 2007. A young team full of talent, yes, but teams like Australia seemed better on paper. So did Pakistan. And yet, Dhoni found a way. He did so with Joginder.
Who will be his go-to man in the final? Will it be Deepak Chahar with some early swing, or will it be Matheesha Pathirana with lethal yorkers? Will he try spin early on, or will Tushar Deshpande do the trick? The Gill wicket in the powerplay could change the game, and both Dhoni and Hardik would know that well. Knowing Dhoni, he will have a plan, or two, for Gill. Whether his bowlers are able to execute them could well decide who wins the spectacle at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. And with Dhoni, I wouldn’t want to bet against him and his mind.
Also Read: Sublime Gill, the Dhoni Effect, and Pathirana X-Factor