A KKR versus CSK match in 2019 was an eye-opener of sorts, even for seasoned Eden Gardens frequenters, when it came to understanding the gravitational pull of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It was a scorching April late afternoon when the fans started making it towards the ground in waves. There was a sea of yellow, with only one name on all the jerseys — the one who wore No. 7.
It was a bad season for the home team and interest in their chances was low when this match took place. The name visible on the back of the handful of those in KKR colours was ‘Russell’. There was no comparison though. Those in yellow far outnumbered the ones in the local team’s outfit. Fans had travelled from the adjoining states and spent thousands just to be there. That’s the aura the people’s champion of cricket enjoys and it’s almost the same everywhere in India.
When it comes to Kolkata — a place Dhoni has shared close ties with since his younger days, his in-laws are from the city — the ironman from Ranchi has had a few memorable cricketing moments. His average at this venue from five Tests reads 91.40. India beat South Africa in 2010 in dramatic fashion towards the end and became the No. 1 in ICC rankings. The captain was one of the four to make centuries in a first-innings total of 643/6 declared.
Dhoni’s limited-over returns at this venue are moderate in comparison. In six ODIs, he averaged 57.66 and this was boosted mostly by the times he remained unbeaten. In two T20Is, he made 21 and 13 not out. As CSK captain, he enjoyed a lot of success against KKR at Eden Gardens and played cameos in some of those. The world got a glimpse of his enormous strength, when S Badrinath collided with him while running between the wickets and fell as if he was hit by a train.
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Causing a storm in local tournament
Truth be told, those who went to Eden Gardens before Dhoni became an India star, remember him for his deeds in the P Sen Trophy in 2005. It’s a local, inter-club tournament named after a late India wicketkeeper, where the teams were allowed to field outstation players not registered with the Cricket Association of Bengal. Playing for Shambazar Club, Dhoni blasted centuries one after another and pulverised the local bowlers, some of whom were excelling for Bengal in domestic events. For those who watched, it was not a massive surprise to see him do that at a higher level soon after.
This doesn’t mean that Kolkata swears by Dhoni all the time. He is obviously not the ‘Thala’ here, like he is in Chennai and some other places. There are enough distractions for the sports lovers of the city to make room for others, depending on what is happening at that point in time. Over 60,000 turn up for Mohun Bagan’s matches at Salt Lake Stadium. Supporters of East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting also make for huge numbers. Cricket has a competitor here.
That, however, may not be applicable when it comes to Dhoni. Kolkata is not an exception. Yes, for geographical proximity, there might be more fans travelling from Jharkhand for CSK matches at Eden Gardens, but the percentage of fans in Dhoni shirts are largely the same everywhere, other than Chennai, where it’s all yellow. In almost all these places, people wearing that shirt outnumber the biggest star of the team from that city.
That is his legacy and this will be hard to match. His fandom cuts across social sectors and pervades barriers. Cricket fans are practically aware. They know that the Dhoni magic will never be back again. The law of diminishing returns has caught up with him. He merely seems to be going through the motions for the sake of it these days. But still, there will be a sizable section of the stands at Eden Gardens decked up in yellow with No. 7 on the back. One last time? Not important. Once, at least.
Also Read: Will Eden Gardens go yellow in anticipation of Dhoni’s last dance?