It was much like the 2019 World Cup. MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja were both out there and the game was on edge. There were 25 crore people watching on Jiostar and the stadium was all yellow, screaming for their idol. Only, Dhoni is six years older and a hobby cricketer of sorts. But it was still very intense.
The 19th over was proof. They needed 20 an over and Tushar Deshpande was handed the ball. Dhoni started with an upper-cut for four and then went big off the third ball for six. The commentators were all excited and when Jadeja finished the over with a six, the roar was deafening. CSK were alive.
Rewind to the 2019 World Cup semi-final, for the situation was very similar. “The last over in that semi-final was to be bowled by Jimmy Neesham and I was backing myself. While you can’t say anything in cricket, 17-18 runs wasn’t something…” Dhoni had stopped in his tracks as he spoke then about what he was going through.
“I had planned the innings all along, and with Jaddu batting with me. We were constantly assessing what we needed to do. I was in fact doing all the planning for Jadeja as well, and at no point did the situation go out of hand.”
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While we will all remember Dhoni for his incredible leadership and white-ball skills, we will also remember the 2019 run-out. One of the greatest cricketers to play the game, even MSD couldn’t escape the cruelty of sport. Exactly the same as last night. When he hit the low full toss towards midwicket, for a second, it seemed that he had timed it to perfection. But he did not. Shimron Hetmyer took a stunner, and it was heartbreak for the yellow army. Yet another imperfect finish for the perfect finisher.
Many may have been left with lumps in their throats to see a legend denied his hurrah. But that’s sport. It is never perfect and there are no retakes. Even for the greatest, there is no rewind button. In what has been a truly remarkable career, which will forever be remembered in the annals of Indian cricket, there will always be these finishes to lament.
For Sandeep Sharma, on the other hand, the pressure was humungous. He was given the ball ahead of Jofra Archer and he had to stop Dhoni in the last over, a task as difficult as any in T20 cricket. Had he failed, he would have been trolled. And if he succeeded, he was the villain anyway! He was asked to do the job and did it to perfection. He was the star, whether the yellow brigade liked it or not.
We will continue to argue if Dhoni could have scripted a final fairytale. The truth, however, is out there. It is time to agree that imperfect is the new perfect. The new normal. At this age – he turns 44 in July – all you can expect is for him to try. Bat where he did yesterday, and give it a shot. Give himself and his team a chance. But more often than not, he will fail. For that’s how sport is. Real, not reel. Brand Dhoni is still at its peak, but Dhoni the player is best seen with a rewind button. The reality of sport.
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