MS Dhoni who has been the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the very start of the Indian Premier League (IPL), handed over the captaincy of the team to Ravindra Jadeja on Thursday. Dhoni’s handing over the captaincy to Jadeja is a heart-breaking moment for all CSK fans. The news came as a tragic shock for the fans and especially for those who have seen Dhoni lead the team to victory four times. It is speculated that Dhoni could be playing his last IPL this season. Dhoni, 40, has already retired from international cricket. As Dhoni hands over the captaincy, Twitter is going gaga over the captain’s legacy.
Over the last two decades, after Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni became India’s much-loved cricketer. Cool, calm, and composed are one of the few adjectives to define Dhoni’s attitude on the field. The man is like a monk when it comes to controlling emotions on the field and was also known as ‘captain cool’ by his fellow teammates.
From the T-20 world cup in 2007 to the IPL cup in 2011, Dhoni is one of the greatest names in the history of cricket. An ultimate outsider who came from nowhere and proved everyone wrong when they doubted him. Captain cool, the wicketkeeper was agile, always aware of the game situation, and as a batsman, he had this belief that he would always prevail.
A testament to Dhoni’s self-confidence is the 2011 world cup when he promoted himself in the batting order, he could have gotten out in the first ball of the night of the final, he could have messed it up, but Dhoni had immense confidence in himself and played well and ended the match with a glorious six making sure that India won the world cup. Dhoni lent others hope and only legends have this intangible quality of throwing a lifeline while the fires raged.
With 10,773 ODI runs, a T20 international yield of 1617, a combined tally of 378 catches and 157 stumpings, leading India to titles in the 2007 ICC World T20, 2011 World Cup and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, Dhoni’s resume is full of accolades and his phenomenal legacy will go on to live forever.
