In Thala we trust: How MS Dhoni became CSK and Chennai’s eternal go-to person

MS Dhoni loves doing MS Dhoni things. Things that are unconventional. Unexpected. Tremulous. Seismic. Seven years back, without warning, he quit Test cricket midway through an overseas series, minutes after batting time and denying Australia victory at the MCG. Five years ago, he stepped down as Indian white-ball captain, a decision made public through a bland email from the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Amidst much speculation over his international future following India’s semi-final elimination from the 50-over World Cup in England in June 2019, Dhoni took to social media on Independence Day – August 15 – to ask the world to ‘consider me retired’. So, it should have come as no surprise when, on Thursday (24 March) afternoon, he stepped aside as captain of Chennai Super Kings , the franchise with which he will forever inextricably be tied, two days before the start of IPL 2022. [caption id=“attachment_10487451” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  MS Dhoni had been CSK’s captain since 2008 IPL. Image: Sportzpics for IPL[/caption] And yet, surprise it certainly did. Not a great deal of shock, to be honest. Not of the kind that accompanied Virat Kohli, for instance, relinquishing Test captaincy in January. But surprise for sure, and a certain gnawing sadness at what unquestionably is the end of an era. It’s impossible to think CSK without Dhoni and Dhoni without CSK, no matter who is at the helm. That Ravindra Jadeja, cherry-picked by Dhoni as his successor, will only be the third cricketer to lead the franchise in its 13 years of existence come Saturday, speaks to the culture of constancy of the most consistent franchise in IPL history, and whose massive fan-following is directly attributable to the magical Dhoni Effect. Who would have thought? Who would have thought in 2008, when the astute mind of the late VB Chandrasekhar identified the leadership credentials of the still-to-be-totally-polished diamond from Ranchi, that Dhoni would go on to become the face, body, heart and soul of the franchise? Who would have thought that he would be revered and worshipped and adored and deified in equal measure by a fiercely proud people who are neither territorial nor clannish, but who would rather invest in one of their own? Who would have thought in 2008 that, before long, Dhoni would become one of their own? Who would have thought that he would be crowned thala, a uniquely Tamil word that conveys everything through its five letters? Who would have thought, indeed? Read: Cricket fraternity reacts to MS Dhoni quitting CSK captaincy An otherwise conservative city embraced the unorthodox Dhoni with open arms, and the icon reciprocated in kind. Within no time, Chennai started to mean as much to Dhoni as Chennai Super Kings, and Dhoni as much to the city as the franchise. He puts bums on the seats, he attracted loyalty beyond imagination – not the frenzied, rabid, ribald loyalty that might exist elsewhere but an affirmation of faith and hope and optimism and the knowledge that all was well till such time that thala was around – and he made believers out of cricket-atheists and agnostics alike. It helped, too, that Dhoni’s natural charisma radiated openness, honesty and transparency, qualities dear to both the owners of the franchise and to the millions that populate the Tamil Nadu capital and the state itself. As much as anyone might dispute it, Dhoni is at least as much Chennaiite as he is Jharkhandi, if not more. There are many justifications for this eternal bond, and yet no reason why it should be as unshakeable and intimate as it is. That’s fine, because some things just happen. [caption id=“attachment_8875991” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Ravindra Jadeja will succeed MS Dhoni at CSK. Image: Sportzpics[/caption] Chennai loved Dhoni’s obsession with speed – fast cars, fast bikes – as much as they lapped up his fireworks in front of the stumps and lightning-fast hands behind it. Till he was in the middle, no chase was too steep, no target beyond reach. When he was plotting and playing a mental game of chess, his impassive visage giving not even the hint of any potential turmoil in his generally calm mind, even the smallest of totals seemed to grow vastly in magnitude and import. In Dhoni Chennai believed, and very seldom did he let them down. Dhoni’s anguish and dismay at the suspension of his beloved franchise from the IPL for two years following Gurunath Meiyappan’s crossover into the dark underbelly of the sport is too well documented to bear lengthy repetition. But both when he was leading Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016 and playing under Steve Smith for the same franchise in 2017, his heart bled yellow. For someone otherwise so extraordinarily adept at keeping raging emotions from boiling over, Dhoni made no secret of how much he longed for the return of CSK to the IPL. Read: MS Dhoni gets his timing right one last time There was never any doubt about how CSK’s fans would react to the franchise’s rejuvenation in 2018. With Dhoni back chasing his — and their — dreams, there was a stronger sense of belonging and kinship. The magician’s reputation as a fashioner of miracles went up several notches when he masterminded a fairytale comeback by piloting his team to a third title in their first year back. Like an awe-struck Graham Gooch once famously asked Ian Botham, there were millions who had the same question for Dhoni in their minds, if not on their lips — “Who writes your bloody script?” Why, Dhoni himself, of course. If 2018 heralded the mother of all comebacks, 2020 was all doom and gloom. For the first time in the competition’s history, CSK failed to advance beyond the first stage. Dhoni’s epitaphs were being written, the franchise dismissed as Dad’s Army and singularly unqualified for the rigours of 20-over shootouts. Thala kept his famed cool, refused knee-jerk remedies, trusted his instincts and his processes; title No 4 in 2021 was inevitable as the same Dad’s Army – give or take a couple – schooled the upstarts in inimitable fashion. In his first statements since being named captain, Jadeja alluded to ‘filling big boots like Mahi bhai’s’. But he was quick to add, “I don’t need to worry too much because he is here, so whenever I have a question to ask, I’ll definitely go to him. He’ll be my go-to person.” Not just Jadeja’s, but CSK’s and Chennai’s go-to person. For now, and forever. When you are MS Dhoni, you don’t need (capt) against your name to be the leader. Thala will do. Quite nicely. 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