Thoughts go back to Old Trafford 2019 & MS Dhoni, the legend...
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| MS Dhoni, doing it his way. Pix: Courtesy ICC |
Cricket is a mere five years away from making a comeback in the Olympics, in Los Angeles. Too late for the Rohit Sharmas and Virat Kohlis to become Olympians, but the Ruturaj
Gaikwads and Yashasvi Jaiswals should.
Already back are exciting/bizarre rewards (depending on how you view them) after Poonam Pandey’s offer to strip if Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team won the 2011 World Cup.
Dhoni did lift the World Cup, but publicity-seeker Poonam didn’t strip, claiming the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) declined to give permission.
Laughable, for the BCCI doesn’t control social media platforms.
Perhaps dreading a bounty being placed on her head, Pakistani actor Sehar Shinwari didn’t take a leaf out of Poonam’s controversial book, but did draw inspiration in a limited way.
On the eve of the India vs Bangladesh match, Sehar offered to fly across to Dhaka and go on a “fish date with Bangali boy” if India were beaten.
Sehar didn’t have to apply for a Bangladeshi visa, for the ‘Bangali’ boys were given a lesson by Rohit Sharma’s men.
Wonder what Sehar will offer Babar Azam & Co. if Pakistan actually bounce back!
But will a “fish date” do in Lahore or Karachi? Ji nahin.
If Sehar wanted to gain popularity with her offer, she has definitely succeeded. For, most in India, had thus far been familiar only with diva Mahira Khan.
Now, for extraordinary happenings over the 22 yards…
Defending champions England got shocked by Afghanistan and South Africa were stunned by The Netherlands.
Besides Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Scott Edwards, on centre stage were Jonathan Trott and Ryan Cook, the Afghanistan and The Netherlands coaches, respectively.
Somewhat ironically, Trott and Cook have a deep connection with the teams their men beat… Trott is a former England cricketer, while Cook’s father, Jimmy, opened for South Africa on their return to International cricket, in 1991.
With only one win from three matches, England had to get the better of South Africa. Jos Buttler’s team, however, got blown away. Chasing 400, daunting for those short on confidence, England were bundled out in 22 overs to lose by their most humiliating margin: 229 runs.
Hard to believe, but true. As a result, England plunged to No.9 on the table, behind Afghanistan.
Over the years, South Africa have had to endure uncomplimentary labels in World Cups. In this edition, all bases are covered.
Will 2023 be South Africa’s year?
With good reason, today, everybody is focused on the only unbeaten teams, India and New Zealand, who’re meeting in Dharamshala.
But instead of Dharamshala (put on the world map by the Dalai Lama), I’d like to travel back in time to the last time India played New Zealand in a World Cup – to Manchester, in 2019.
Hard to forget, after all, that the semi-final at Old Trafford marked Dhoni’s last appearance for India.
The busting of a billion and more dreams also meant one of India’s greatest cricketers went out, run out for 50, in a manner he favoured. Quietly.
Reminded me of the exit of another great, Sunil Gavaskar, on conclusion of the 1987 World Cup semi-final, in Mumbai. Then, defeat was at the hands of England.
With their last matches in the India cap/colours ending in the manner they did, there was no send-off to remember.
Dhoni calling time on his career at the end of India’s campaign in the 2019 World Cup had looked a strong possibility right through that edition. It’s not that Dhoni said something publicly, but the signs were there, like changing the logo on his bat to ‘thank’ those who supported him in the early stages of his distinguished career.
The 2019 India vs New Zealand semi-final, one may recall, was played over two days owing to rain.
Dhoni did, however, let something big out of the bag on the morning of July 10, the reserve day. Odd that nobody in the India squad reacted.
In ‘Coaching Beyond’, former fielding coach R.Sridhar, revealed: “On the morning of the reserve day, I was the first person at the breakfast hall. I was nursing my coffee when MS and Rishabh (Pant) walked in, picked up their stuff and joined me at my table.
“New Zealand had only a couple of overs to bat out and we’d start our innings thereafter, so the match would end reasonably early.
“Rishabh told MS in hindi: ‘Bhaiya, some of the guys are planning to leave for London today itself privately. Would you be interested?’
“MS replied: ‘No, Rishabh. I don’t want to miss my last bus drive (Manchester-London) with the team’. “
Sridhar, I think, missed out on ‘long-distance’… ‘Last long-distance bus drive…’.
Two things. (A) Win or lose, Dhoni didn’t intend leaving for London in a hired car (after getting the manager’s permission) to spend more time in the most favoured city of the India cricketers; (B) If India beat New Zealand, Dhoni would have retired after the final, either staying back in London or making other known-to-few plans.
Weeks after the World Cup, Dhoni, an honorary Lt Colonel in the Territorial Army, went to the mightily sensitive south Kashmir region. For a fortnight, he was assigned to a special forces unit.
Dhoni kept everybody guessing about his future. Signals, however, were that the Establishment wanted him to retire. Dhoni was even taken off the contracted players’ list by the BCCI.
Trust Dhoni to do things his way: He announced retirement on August 15, 2020, all of 13 months after the semi-final. Rather cryptically, on a social media platform.
So, for me at least, India vs New Zealand World Cup matches would mean thoughts going back to Manchester and Dhoni’s last walk back to the pavilion in the India blue.
By the way, Rohit has won the toss in Dharamshala. Expectedly, has chosen to bowl as dew could be a significant factor under lights. Two changes for India: Mohammed Shami and Suryakumar Yadav in. Shardul Thakur, injured Hardik Pandya out.
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