Rallying Point with Rupha | The demystification of MS

There are two kinds of people. One who likes salted caramel, the other, sugary sweet tarts; one who loves to hike, the other to lounge at a beach; one who loves cats, the other dogs. There are two kinds of people the world over, and then there is MS Dhoni. He studies the dialogues of an advert that he has to deliver, just as closely as he reads and decodes his opponents; he thrives under the spotlight of leading his side, just as much as he loves his almost reclusive solitude; he is reticent at most times in the public eye, as much as he taunts playfully and holds a room when surrounded by his people; he lets the whole world watch his every move on a cricket field, as much as he guards his innermost thoughts; who is cool and calm under the pressure of a last-ball finish, as much as he is enraged enough to storm onto the field when he had no business being there, to confront an umpire; who is extremely rigid about the seemingly banal things in life like the way he likes his dosa, or the juice he drinks, and yet is so carefree when it comes to the seemingly big things - like renouncing his captaincy.

I remember covering the series when Sourav Ganguly famously finished a press conference to say the words “Just one last thing, lads…” and dropped his retirement bomb. That sent a shock wave back then, but you expected the theatrics with dadi, as he is fondly called otherwise. That was the era of drama and one-upmanship. It was the need of that hour, that time. And then of course, someone like MS came along. There were too many stark differences between the dadi era and the Dhoni era that followed, but we won’t go into any of that. That is not at the heart of this narration. But there’s a reason I bring up the dadi announcement, made at a time when social media was not the monster it is today. So I get the intent behind that and the manner in which it was made. Living in a time now when every movement of a public figure is somehow caught on camera and splashed across social media platforms, MS Dhoni’s abstinence from the same, is remarkable.

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To understand this you somehow have to understand the man. And the only way you can truly get him, is if you interact with him face to face. There is no WhatsApp culture with MS (surprise, surprise). I worked with the Chennai Super Kings franchise for close to five years. That is a long time when you look at career goals and what you want to do, because there has to be constant evaluation and recalibration. This obviously doesn’t apply to the man who held on to the same position at CSK for 17 long years. I think I was lucky to be a part of a set up back then with all the senior hands in the system at their peak. Age was not on their side, but the vigour was sky-high because the franchise had just come out of a 2-year suspension. I guess to this day, if you ask anyone who walks down the corridors of Chepauk or the India Cements building, the 2018 season would be remembered as one of the best years for this group. A miracle season that only MS could have manifested. I’ll circle back to this in just a bit.

Chennai Super Kings, I realise now, is the equivalent of Gryffindor of Harry Potter world - the House that every young wizard entering the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, desires to be a part of. It’s the right of passage. And it sounds about correct doesn’t it? CSK has witnessed a lot of wizardry over the years too. So I only have gratitude. Not because of getting an opportunity to work with CSK alone, though I am certain that is on everyone’s bucket list. But because I got to spend time and get glimpses into what made MS, well MS. I just want to share what I believe makes MS think the way he does. I want to connect the dots so you get a picture - maybe not the complete one - but a semblance of it, to fathom just why the hero you grew up idolising, or who inspired you to take up the sport, or who made you the leader you are today, does what he does and in the way he does it in.

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We talk of MS making things happen on the field. We see him controlling and taking charge of the moments that somehow define the game and the end result. I think a lot of that comes from the way he thinks off the field too. Staying in control of the little things that eventually lead him to the big one. He resides in the small moments yes, but his sight is always on the bigger picture. Even the night after that 4th IPL title win, MS was already in the future. The squad had executed a fantastic turnaround from the horror season that 2020 was. That win in 2021 was a superb one, given the situation and MS approaching his big 40. And even when the whole group was celebrating the season that was, MS was already thinking of title number 5. That’s the kind of person he is. He is able to compartmentalise his life to fit into boxes that make it part of a massive assembly line in the machinery of his brain. He believes that one needs to focus on moving from point A to B and henceforth to get to the ultimate goal - if that is infact Z. That’s what you see on the field too. He talks about the process so much. It’s a phrase that I am sure many of us in the sporting and broadcast industry would have casually scoffed at, at some point. But there is so much truth to that phrase or mantra because that is what he has constantly lived by. It has worked for him, and so he continues to believe that it will.

Every franchise has its traditions, routines, certain things that they do. There are a few traditions in CSK too. And one of those is the inaugural team dinner. It is held just before the start of every season. The entire group from players, support staff, management, owners and families are invited to reflect on the past seasons and look to the future. There are a few moments that are highlighted, MS usually makes a speech, sometimes he refrains. It is a very private affair and is off camera, not for the media or even to post on their own platforms. In a world where every franchise lives on creating, curating and publishing real to reel and turn interactions to digital imprints, this one thing that CSK does has stood the test of time and social media peer pressure. The 2018 team dinner was an emotional one. It was a reunion and though I was not in that room on that occasion, we all were made aware of how touching MS’s speech was and how emotional he himself got about getting back to this family - his CSK family. It was a sentimental evening for him and everyone who was present. It somehow set the tone for the season and every day felt like they were counting down to the big day - the final. That year was the year of the daddy army - almost all in the last phase of their careers and CSK being written off. And yet they managed to win.

MS loves to have a long breakfast at the start of every season where he meets everybody. That will happen once and maybe if you are lucky, twice in the season. Thereafter, all meals are had ensconced in his hotel rooms. And the breakfast is long because he meets every single person and gets face-time just as the season begins. That is what means more to him than WhatsApp messages or phone calls. So obviously only Ruturaj Gaikwad and the senior management needed to know of this decision and that too on that very day just hours before. Did he want to tell the world about it himself? Of Course not. Would not be in keeping with his thinking, his being. Most things are private and even so, are made public only if he feels the need to share it. He did that at every turn in his career - retiring from Tests, from international cricket to naturally handing over captaincy at CSK as well. I remember hearing players getting teary-eyed when he broke the news minutes before the post dropped on 15 August, 2020.

These are mere boxes in his brain’s production line - nuts and bolts - that do not need his clamoured attention. The larger picture is what his eyes are on. Once upon a time, a wizard made the Sorting Hat put him in Gryffindor. He manifested that thought and of course went on to become one of the greatest wizards in the world, who ultimately defeated Lord Voldermort. MS is much like that; manifesting little magical moments as he goes along. So, will he have the time or even the intent to use the Owlery and deliver messages across the world? Definitely Not!

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.