Chicken Butter Masala Lover Dhoni No More 'Hungry'

“Perennially hungry for chicken butter masala”, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is no more hungry for ODI/T20 captaincy. He has often taken decisions that have left people – national selectors, cricket experts, and fans – baffled and surprised. His decision to retire from Test cricket in December 2014 was completely unexpected for people, including the selectors. And, now, by opting to abdicate national captaincy of the shorter versions is no less baffling for many people. But Dhoni has always played cricket the way he deemed it fit.

While quitting captaincy, Dhoni has remained available as a player for selection in the Indian ODI and T20 teams. The immediate ODI-T20 series is against England, starting on January 15. And it would be a huge shock if the selectors don’t pick the great player for the three ODIs and the three T20 matches that follow. After all, by not taking full and final retirement Dhoni has taken the risk of being dropped, too, should the selectors decide to ignore him on Friday, when they meet to pick the squads for ODi and T20 series. But it is unlikely that the MSK Prasad-headed five-member committee will take the drastic step to axe him.

There’s a view that his captaincy in the ODI series against the visiting New Zealand (India won the series 3-2) in October, and away in Australia (Australia won 4-1 in January 2016) and against South Africa at home (South Africa won 3-2 in October 2015) before that might have compelled Dhoni to review his options as captain in the shorter versions. That some people had started speaking adversely on his captaincy may not have entirely impacted his decision, and it looks like purely his own decision to step down.

The reasons for resigning apart, Dhoni, who unabashedly admits he is “perennially hungry for chicken butter masala” on his twitter handle, has left a huge legacy that will last many, many years.

It all started when Dhoni led a completely inexperienced India to the ICC World Twenty20 title in 2007 when no one gave his team any chance due to its inexperience in the shortest version of cricket. Think of it, India had played a solitary Twenty20 International when before heading into the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, and the weight of India’s achievement grows manifold.

Dhoni went on to captain India in 199 ODIs and 72 T20 Internationals, with 59.57 and 59.28 success respectively. As in-charge he led India to the three biggest prizes – 50-over World Cup (in 2011), Twenty20 World Cup (2007) and Champions Trophy (2013).

In ICC tournaments, his captaincy record is amazing. In 50-over World Cup, he won 14 matches; in Champions Trophy, he won six matches and lost one; and in T20 World Cup, he won 21 games and lost 11.

Before the start of the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka in Dhaka, Dhoni disclosed how he handled immense pressure as captain of a country that has a billion cricket fans.

“I leave it (the pressure) at the stadium because that’s the best thing that I can do. Over the years, I have seen almost everything. We had the Indian team perform at its best and at the same time we had to go through a lean patch where we had really tough times,” he said from the heart when I posed the query to him.

“I know there are certain things that are in my control. I look to move in that direction rather than thinking or living a thought that’s beyond my control and that has really helped me. It’s been an interesting time, with the ups and downs,” he further said. “International sport is all about it, it doesn’t matter which game you are playing. It has taught me a lot and it’s still a learning curve for me and, hopefully, it will teach me more in my life after cricket.”

But the true worth of Dhoni the cricketer has not been limited to his captaincy or his clever strategy making; he was par excellence as a batsman at the crucial No.6 position – starting out as a smashing willow wielder and then changing his game to suit the team’s needs, especially when the team chased totals in One-day Internationals.

Now, with the pressures of captaincy gone, Dhoni can pay more attention to his bikes and his dogs in Ranchi, listen to Hindi retro music, and take good care of infant daughter Ziva.

Well played, MSD. All the very best your or future endeavours.