New Delhi: Ever wondered why MS Dhoni doesn’t feature at the centre of the winning team photograph? You would have to raise your concentration levels to find him in the frame despite him being the captain (previously) and more often than not being one of the main architects of the winning trophy. There is a thing between Dhoni and sacrifices. Sacrifices ranging from small to big – all important for the team or his partner at the other end.
Let’s take the most recent example. When the whole world was hailing Virat Kohli for equaling Ricky Ponting’s 30 ODI centuries, Dhoni quietly made his way into the middle with India needing just 2 runs to complete a series whitewash.
Leg Spinner Wahidu Hasaranga had just robbed off Kedar Jadhav a chance to steer the side to victory after playing a good knock of 63. Tharanga had kept the field up, inviting a Dhoni to go for a big one to bring the curtains down. Memories of the 2011 World Cup just flashed by but Dhoni, unfazed as always just knocked the ball off the back foot for a single and wore a smile after reaching the other end, almost indicating Kohli to do the honours of finishing the match.
After all the years of playing under Dhoni, Kohli also knew what was coming as the Indian captain’s sheepish smile in reply suggested. Kohli then played a simple drive past the diving bowler to complete the formalities. What looked like routine was actually Dhoni’s way of honouring the man who yet again played a classy knock to secure a comfortable victory for India.
Interestingly, it was not the first time in the series that Dhoni let his partner take the centre stage. In the fourth ODI also, Dhoni took a single off the penultimate ball of the Indian innings, even when he was just 2 runs shy of a record hundred ODI fifties to give young Manish Pandey an opportunity to get to a well deserved half-century. Pandey didn’t disappoint as he got to the mark with a single off the last ball.
And Dhoni? Well he just wrapped his arm around the shoulders of Pandey while walking off the field with a sense of satisfaction