On Tuesday, M.S. Dhoni was hailed as a superhero after helping the Chennai Super Kings win a record-tying fifth Indian Premier League title. The 41-year-old’s tactical brilliance, calm demeanor, and a critical stumping contributed to the victory.
In a nail-biting last-ball match that began on Monday and continued far into the early morning hours of Tuesday, Chennai defeated the defending champions, the Gujarat Titans, by a score of five wickets.
The night was filled with joy and celebration for all who cheered for Dhoni and his squad.
After the first day of the final in Ahmedabad was washed out due to rain, the game was moved to the reserve day, and despite further precipitation, Chennai was able to beat the rain-revised goal of 171 runs in just 15 overs.
In front of 80,000 spectators in the world’s largest cricket stadium, Ravindra Jadeja hit 10 runs off the final two balls to win the match.
Dhoni, a former captain of India who is certain to continue playing despite prior speculation that this would be his last opportunity, was dismissed by the first ball that Chennai faced in their response.
However, the wicketkeeper-batsman also pulled off a fine stumping of Gujarat’s dangerous man Shubman Gill, and his experience, composure, and sheer presence helped Chennai win the match.
Now that he has won five titles as captain, he has tied the record held by Rohit Sharma, who captained the Mumbai Indians. However, most commentators say that Dhoni is in a class all by himself.
“If you are comparing on titles, you have got a discussion,” Tom Moody, a former player for Australia and an ex-coach in the Indian Premier League, remarked on ESPNCricinfo.
If, on the other hand, you are referring to the captaincy, there is no grand final.
Sanjay Manjrekar, who played cricket for India in the past, concurred and said that “this kind of leadership will rarely be seen.”
Dhoni has had a remarkable career, which included winning two World Cups, and is India’s most successful captain in the Test format of the game.
In 2020, he stepped down from his role as an international player, but he continued to play in the Indian Premier League despite having a knee injury and producing uninspiring batting performances this season.
After making comments in the past that suggested this would be his final IPL game, he made comments after the final that suggested he will return for one more go in 2024.
“The way (fans have) shown their love and affection, I think that’s something I need to do for them,” he added. “I think that’s something I need to do for them.”
On Monday, play was stopped due to rain, and a severe rainfall that lasted only a few minutes left one of the side pitches flooded. After the stroke of midnight, it took the ground personnel more than two hours to get the game going again.
Before Jadeja brought the house down with a six and four to secure the victory, the fans remained patient for the second day in a row, with cries of “Dhoni, Dhoni” ringing through the night air.
Videos of “Captain Cool” during the tense closing seconds showed him maintaining his composure in some way, at least externally.
When Jadeja needed a boundary to win the game, it seemed as though he closed his eyes on the last ball.
After that, Dhoni gave Jadeja a hug and helped him get off his feet.
“As calm as he is and as cool as he is, (still), it means a lot,” Chennai coach Stephen Fleming said to the press.
“As many of us are aware, the franchise holds a special place in his heart, and he devotes a lot of his time and energy to it.
“This stage of his career to win another IPL and lead a team like he has, I think it is great credit to him,” Fleming said. “I think it is great credit to him.”
Dhoni became Chennai’s captain at the beginning of the tournament and has guided the team to victory on many occasions, including in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021.
“He is indeed an incredible example of the human race. According to the batting coach for Chennai, Mike Hussey, the player’s ability to alleviate the strain that other players, particularly younger players, are under is his greatest skill.
“As we are all aware, he maintains a level head at all times, maintains composure, and is very astute strategically.”