VIJAY HAZARE 2015

The MS Dhoni flame flickers on

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Eleven years since making his entry, Mahendra Singh Dhoni sits amongst elite company, but critics from all corners are calling for his ouster. © Cricbuzz

Life as a sportsman must be a tough one. It is perhaps a blessed one, but the pressures are relentless. More so for men who set unprecedented standards for themselves, as legacies can be shattered a lot faster than they take to be carefully built. Two games without a goal and Lionel Messi's 'form slump' is the talk of the town, a year without a Grand Slam title and Roger Federer is said to be 'finished' and calls for his retirement gain momentum. These are men who are allowed to do no wrong when they step onto the field of play.

Eleven years since making his entry in the One-Day International (ODI) circuit and winning two of the most coveted titles, Mahendra Singh Dhoni sits amongst elite company, but critics from all corners are calling for his ouster.

5 overs - 9 for 3. Not for the first time in the 50-over format, MS Dhoni walks out to bat with his side desperately needing his expertise in a run-chase. On Wednesday (December 23), it is in modest chase of 226 against Delhi in the Vijay Hazare quarter-final at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

Back in 2004, as Dhoni began to win the hearts of common fans, old school supporters lamented his brute-force-over-technique approach. His dramatic journey from being a ticket collector to a cricketer was a massive source of inspiration for young minds from small towns but the jury was always out on whether Dhoni was the sort of player whose face should've been on a coaching manual.

5.1 overs - Four down! Ishant Sharma is in the midst of a fiery spell and Dhoni can only watch - helplessly from the other end. A straightforward chase has already been transformed into a complicated one.

Reputation can be such a double-edged virtue. When on song, it justifies all the hype surrounding a player but a downward slide puts doubts in the minds of the onlookers. Dhoni and his gameplay became the epitome of brutal, merciless batting in the toughest of situations. A tricky run-chase in Lahore, Dhoni is there; 13 to get from the final over in Adelaide, Dhoni is there; 15 off the last 6 balls in Port-of-Spain, Dhoni is there and during a high-pressure chase in a World Cup final - Dhoni is there again. The wicket-keeper batsman is hailed, showered with accolades; even worshipped by some. What happens then, when an inevitable slump arrives? A lull when timing goes amiss and the slogs just can't go past fielders? Stocks fall at exhilarating pace and critics emerge with sharpened swords.

6.2 overs - Manan Sharma, the off-spinner, is into the attack. Dhoni surveys the field thoroughly. The vacant fine leg area is unmissable. He has judged Sharma's line and length in the previous ball and now dances down the track to delicately glance the ball in the empty space and collects three.

Dhoni entered 2015 right after his Test retirement. The decision came as a shocker but soon enough there were voices calling for Virat Kohli's takeover across all formats. Baseless whispers of a breakdown within the squad also began doing the rounds. Twelve months down, interestingly, Dhoni - in a year of slump - has outscored the Test skipper and his average, among Indian players, is only second-best to Rohit Sharma, who has enjoyed sparkling form in coloured kits.

26.5 overs - Ah, the old, ferocious Dhoni! What fans would give to see him don that avatar and sustain it for a longer period, all over again. Jharkhand have suffered a batting implosion but Dhoni keeps on. Sharma tosses one up and Dhoni comes down the track to heave it for a straight six.

28.1 overs - Sharma repeats the flight, Dhoni repeats the treatment. Didn't get it off the middle of the bat but it had enough power to sail over the stands where the few fans roared 'Dhoni...Dhoni'. The chase was still out of bounds but Dhoni had just switched on his beast mode.

Dhoni and his penchant for ICC tournaments is well-documented. Such is his obsession for coveted trophies, that Sanjay Manjrekar was once left dumbfounded by the Indian skipper's answers. After meek performances in the tri-nation series - involving England and Australia - Down Under, just before the World Cup, Manjrekar asked Dhoni if this abysmal performance could be rated as the worst moment of his career. A straight-faced Dhoni was quick to respond in the negative and confessed that the first-round exit from the World Cup 2007 was far more painful. A little more of prodding and probing from Manjrekar ensued and Dhoni was straightforward in admitting that his side has endured a tough time in the recent past but form in the show-piece events remained top priority. That conviction and thought process was in full display as he and his men put their poor form behind and finished semifinalists in the World Cup - losing to Australia, the eventual champions. Faith in Dhoni, despite him having an ordinary tournament with the bat, was restored. Only to be shattered in three months' time.

35th over - Jharkhand's Vijay Hazare campaign is all but over. Nine down with less than half the target achieved and a fiery Ishant Sharma in the attack. Dhoni, in his inimitable style, decided to ruffle a few feathers. A pull down the leg-side, a massive heave and another ferocious pull. Four, Six and Six. Game on, now? Gautam Gambhir has a few worries.

Emotional attachment often make the fans endearing to their favourite stars and sides. However, the same attribute - in defeat - makes them irrational. Over the top judgements are passed, players are written off and resignations are demanded - all at the drop of a hat. Series defeats in Bangladesh and to South Africa at home turned the tide on Dhoni. The inability to snatch a game away in typical fashion from a good but rookie 19-year-old pacer - Kagiso Rabada - raised doubts over the credentials of a finisher par excellence.

38th over - 69 of Jharkhand's 125-9 have come off Dhoni's willow. But a 100 more was still there to get. Dhoni, farming strike and belting a few big ones, keeping his side alive by the skin of their teeth. But not for long as his last batting partner fell, giving Delhi a 99-run win. Dhoni finished unbeaten on 70, providing some positives for his supporters to take from the game.

Is the end really nigh? Will the Twenty20 World Cup be India's most successful skipper's swansong in limited-overs? Will the upcoming tour of Australia burst the bubble that this one Vijay Hazare game has allowed his ardent fans to get into? Time, like always, will be the best judge. If recent evidence is anything to go by, then the Dhoni flame still seems to have the potential to flicker on and produce some magic of the old.

© Cricbuzz

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