Shivam Dube was mocked and trolled when he failed in the initial games in this IPL. ‘Can’t play pacers, can’t handle short balls, just swings wildly against spinners’ and the pressure was racking up against him. It’s around then, MS Dhoni stepped in, off the field. Tushar Deshpande too had a similar not-so-great start, and again Dhoni stepped in.
“Mahi bhai gave me clarity of thought. He told me what my role is. It was simple tujhe jaake team ka run rate badhana hai. (You have to increase the run rate). Even if I get out early no problem but try to complete the task given. The brief was clear,” Dube told The Indian Express, a day after CSK lifted the IPL. Dube’s strike rate this season has been 158.33.
Tushar Deshpande too is grateful with Dhoni’s messaging. He would end up as CSK’s highest wicket-taker with 21 wickets.
“Once I didn’t bowl well, he said not to worry. Don’t get bog down and just follow the process. Once during presentation he had said that the new impact rule, 200 plus score is the new normal. His mind is clear when he speaks. He gave the surety which is what (young) players want,” Deshpande tells this newspaper.
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There has been a familiar visual when Deshpande bowls. He often darts a look at Dhoni behind the stumps, and would either receive a nod of head, or a gloved-hands clap, or a gesture to change the line. All these little things, especially coming from a venerated skipper, holds tremendous value to a young pacer like Deshpande.
“You know you have someone who will guide and show the light when things are not going in our favour. He is a selfless guy and keeps things simple. He doesn’t complicate things and will be with you in your bad times. Like a soldier I will just follow whatever he says. I know he can never take me on a wrong path,” Deshpande says.
A thread of beautiful unseen pictures of Mahendra Singh Dhoni that every cricket lover must see. pic.twitter.com/31nqgmjJVx
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Deshpande too raves about Dhoni’s clarity of plans.
“His (MS Dhoni) plans are very clear ke yeh yeh karna hai and then one has to execute. He will give freedom as well and when needed he will put a word. He told me that I have everything to play at the top, just be calm, take a deep breath. Keeping mind- shaant is the key (keep the mind calm), Deshpande says.
Dube remained unbeaten in a nail biting thriller final against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. He along with Ravindra Jadeja guided Chennai Super Kings towards their fifth title.
Deshpande nearly had Shubman Gill with a clear plan though it didn’t come to fruition as Deepak Chahar dropped the catch. Dhoni had a backward square leg for Gill and Deshpande curved the ball on the middle and leg line. He tried it a few times, and on one occasion Gill flicked it straight to Chahar, who couldn’t hold on. At the end of the game, Dhoni would make it all feel like a joke, refusing to accede to Chahar’s request to sign his jersey; Dhoni was seen gesturing and talking about the drop catch, clearly in good humour. He has that light touch about him.
A big thanks to Chahar for bringing out Dhoni’s this side 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/yxZJ8jreSJ
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Chahar has earlier talked about how once when he had slipped in beamers, trying for yorkers with a wet ball, Dhoni came across for a chat: ‘Vaise to tu bada dedh shaana banta hai.(you act all shrewd and smart) Sab pata hai tujhe. Yaha pe ye kya geeli ball ke saath phek raha hai? (You claim to know everything then why are you bowling like this with the wet ball)’. “My head was down and all I was thinking was that my death bowling career is over since I bowled two beamers. But then I conceded just 5 runs in the next 5 balls and then he hugged me after the game. We are very close and he pampers me a lot.”
MS Dhoni in the CSK dugout. (BCCI/IPL)
Very often, Dhoni’s frank messaging comes at the post-match press conference. He isn’t the one for ‘boys did well or didn’t do well’ type of messaging; instead he would slip in a direct message: he would point out the mistakes of the bowlers or batsmen in the phase. Just a quiet direct word, said publicly, but such is the respect for him and the hold he has, the players take it as constructive feedback.
At the end of the title triumph, Dhoni gave a small speech in the dressing room. Deshpande recalls the following words: “He told everyone hard work is paid off, but do remember what we did right this year and where we went wrong. Mahi bhai said, “Yeh season tumko kya seekha ke gaya hai, aur aage kya karna hai, yeh zaroor sochna.”
Dhoni has talked about how he would like to take a few months and try his best to play next year. Like rest of the cricketing country, Shivam Dube hopes Dhoni returns for one more season.
“I don’t know whether he will be playing next season or not, but we need him, so that we can grow under him.”