Chennai Super Kings have lost their first two games – one away, one at home. Early in the season, they have a crisis at hand and it is unlikely that their designated fire-fighter MS Dhoni – out for two weeks because of a calf injury – has it in him to put the house in order. Actually, he can complicate matters, push them further in the maze. But will CSK have the courage to keep their Thala on the bench?
Till a few years back, there used to be this very popular old Indian cricketing folklore that would end with ‘ … and then Dhoni saved the day’. The superhero has aged, his powers have diminished, and that tale has started to sound fictional. At Chepauk, though, they still believe in him and his myth.
Are the fans being sentimentally unreasonable? If Dhoni’s form and attitude in the last two seasons are anything to go by, they are. Be it mortals, legends or GOATs; age catches up with everyone. Law of nature says humans lose their athletic ability post 40, and the body gives enough signs of slowing down. Many acknowledge the change; others don’t.
Floating between No. 5 to 8, Dhoni has even batted as low as No.9 in the last few seasons. (IG: chennaiipl)
Roger Federer, just a month short of 40, tamely lost in the Wimbledon quarter-final to Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz. A top star not making it to the semis is a usual Grand Slam story, but that day Federer was blanked 6-0 in the third and final set. This happened in his backyard – Wimbledon’s Centre Court.
It was tragic to watch Federer minus his ever-reliable serve, the backhand without grace and the missing threading-the-needle down-the-line pass at crunch time. This was it – the fans thought. So did Federer. In a year, at 41, the Swiss legend said his final goodbye. He didn’t want the world to remember him as a stumbling, fumbling player well past his prime.
Sadly, the present-day stumbling, fumbling Dhoni threatens to wipe out the memories from his golden days. Many years back, at the launch of Dhoni’s biopic, the great movie-maker SS Rajamouli, of Bahubali fame, beautifully captured the essence of Dhoni and what he meant to the fans.
“My generation started watching cricket in the mid ’80s. In that era, we watched cricket with fear, not joy. After Dhoni became the captain, we started watching cricket without fear …,” he had said. Sadly, that joy has gone. For the old Dhoni fans, it’s not even fear these days. There is a sense of disappointment when Dhoni fails to get CSK past the post like he used to.
To make matters worse, Dhoni keeps dropping himself down the order. Floating between No. 5 to 8, he has even batted as low as No.9. Vintage Dhoni would want to be in the thick of things, take the game by the scruff of the neck. Remember how he promoted himself in the 2011 World Cup final, ran down the Wankhede stairs as the game was slipping. These days, he ambles to the field when the game is as good as over.
Dhoni was known to leave it late but sensationally pull off miraculous wins. That’s history, now – cricket’s Houdini is no longer the escape artist he used to be.
T20 is also not what it used to be. In the modern game, the fall of wickets is no excuse to play dot balls. Young batsmen in their early 20s wallop every ball they face. The Mahi-way was about waiting for the right time and right bowler to strike. These days every ball and every bowler is targetted. With 200-plus being a par score now – effectively a 6 and four is mandatory in every over – waiting and watching is so yesterday.
Dhoni joining the team this season would rock the boat. After the one-sided loss in the first game, CSK showed marginal improvements in their second. Young Ayush Matre showed he had it in him to be a match-winner, Sarfaraz Khan played a stunning cameo, Shivam Dube excelled as a seasoned finisher. They scored 200 plus for the first time at home since 2024, and the team showed signs of settling down. Dhoni’s re-entry would give an unwanted shake-up to the batting line-up. His larger-than-life presence behind the stumps would again make the new leadership group – Gaikwad, Sanju, Shivam – conscious.
Once reputed for its knowledgeable crowd, Chennai needs to get out of its trance. For far too long, they have been indulging the star who made CSK into a champion team and a high-value brand. They are being courteous and loyal but not rational. When CSK wins, it’s because of Dhoni. When they don’t, it is the pitch, the coach or wrong auction picks. Chepauk needs to end its stupor; the collective suspension of disbelief from the stands needs to be lifted. CSK can’t afford to live in denial any longer.
MS Dhoni's larger-than-life presence behind the stumps would again make the new CSK leadership group conscious. (PTI Photo) 
Floating between No. 5 to 8, Dhoni has even batted as low as No.9 in the last few seasons. (IG: chennaiipl)
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