SSB GD Series: Is it time for Dhoni to Retire?

December 23, 2004 India was playing against Bangladesh, a Ranchi born boy came on the first time on the batting side and the rest is history. That Ranchi born boy became the captain of the Indian Cricket team. People know him by the name Mahi, MS, MSD, Thala, Captain Cool, but for most he’s just Dhoni.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born in Ranchi in a Rajput family, though initially he excelled at sports like Badminton and Football, he made his career in Cricket. He first played for the Indian Cricket team on 23^rd December, 2004 and had been playing since, He took the captaincy from Rahul Dravid and took the team to a whole new level. The belief of people in the Indian Cricket team started to build, and under the captain cool’s supervision. With Dhoni in command the Indian Cricket Team were able to pass through some very tight corners and win trophies like 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the CB series of 2007 -2008, the 2011 ICC Cricket world Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. But sadly, now as India had lost in a semifinal against Australia questions are beginning to emerge on Dhoni’s captaincy.

Not only is Dhoni an excellent captain, he is an extra ordinary leader. He puts faith in the younger players of the team and instills in them that self-confidence which makes them perform extra ordinary well in testing times. He makes them realize they themselves are capable enough of changing the match. A recent example would be the World Cup 2015, instead of choosing the old, tried and tested players like Yuvraj Singh or Viredra Sehwag, he had put faith in the younger lot who’ll be playing the matches for the Indian Cricket Team in the years to come. He is one player who takes the blame of the team’s poor performance on himself but gives credit to each and every player of the team when the team performs well.

MS Dhoni had won India some very important matches and had lost a few too, but judging him on the ones lost would be injustice. The famous quote by Ian Bishop ”If 15 runs are needed of the last 6 balls, pressure in on the bowler but not on MS Dhoni” signifies the greatness of the man, his capability to perform under extreme pressure and push others to perform as well. India never had such a captain and we truly are lucky to have him.

As for the people who believe that MS Dhoni must retire and give other players a chance, they must first realize that Dhoni selflesslessly puts himself among the last batsmen in the batting order, he doesn't play to win the glory for himself, it’s his teammates and his country which matters to him the most. The younger player still have  a long way to go and learn a lot from the captain cool, Shikhar Dhawan or Virat Kohli maybe people’s favorite and maybe the rising stars ,but deep down we all know that Mahendra Singh Dhoni is that pillar of strength which won’t let the team loose, not without a fight.

In my opinion , Mahendra Singh Dhoni should continue as the captain of the Indian Cricket Team as men like him not only motivate their fellow players to work harder and push an extra inch, but also add glory to the game. The younger players should take great inspiration from a living legend like him and learn all they can under his captaincy, as such gems are hard to find.

"Dhoni backs players as well. People like (Suresh) Raina, (Ravindra) Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma have developed under him as players and have some terrific qualities as a leader."  - Sourav Ganguly

"He (Dhoni) has got this ability of rising from the ashes. It is his temperament where he has treated those two imposters — fame and failure — in just the same manner." - Sunil Gavaskar

"One inch here and there and a guy like Dhoni could take you apart. He is a great finisher; he is cool and calm and backs himself. He is a strong character." - Mahela Jayawardene

  

About the Author: Shekhar Tanwar is a computer science engineer who is working with a renowned MNC and is a die heart defense aspirant. Guitar is his passion and he is very firm believer of physical fitness. This article is a way to help defense aspirants to present his critical views on the topic, on the forum so that collective exchange of thoughts can take place.