Recent willow travails flag end to MSD's extra time in the middle

The current edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached the halfway mark. Though it is not possible to predict which sides will make it to the knockout stage, it may not be difficult to identify the teams that do not stand any chance of progressing to this phase.

The side -- currently languishing at the bottom of the points table and does not stand any chance of making it to the last four stage barring a miracle -- is the once powerful Chennai Super Kings (CSK), five-time champions in this tournament. The team was bogged down not only by the poor form of its players, but even Lady Luck deserted them as Ruturaj Gaikwad, their skipper and top-order batsman, suffered an elbow fracture and was ruled out for the remaining part of this season.

This has been a sad summer for the legions of CSK fans, who expected a standout performance from their heroes but were forced to see the side eat humble pie. Far worse was the plight of its stalwart player, who had been identified with this franchisee since IPL kicked off in 2008. This edition has been a deep disappointment and disillusionment for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the architect behind India’s victory in two World Cups.

Dhoni has been CSK's mascot, the pillar around whom the side is built. He is also the icon who throws millions of fans into a frenzy every time he steps onto the field, dressed in the trademark yellow jersey. In Chennai, he is revered as “Thala”, the leader, and commands a respect and awe that even few political leaders can match. When he walks in twirling his bat, the deafening roar at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk can be heard miles away, even though it is at the fall of a wicket. For the fans, Dhoni has transcended the levels of a successful sportsperson and moved into the stratospheric strata reserved for those divinely ordained.

With heavy expectations resting on his shoulders, a lesser mortal would feel daunted every time he steps on the field. But Dhoni has always been the epitome of rectitude, never allowing the adulation to turn his head or ruffle his calm demeanour. He has kept to himself, fiercely guarding his privacy and allowing himself to be judged solely by his performances on the field.

It must be a horrendous experience for a player of his stature, who takes immense pride in his performances, to go through a run of poor scores. But even worse will be the distress brought by the awareness that he no longer can turn a game around as he used to do when he was at the peak of his prowess. It must be galling not to be able to live up to the hopes of his fans or even meet the expectations of his teammates.

His tally of 140 runs from 9 outings in this year's IPL carries a decent average of 28, solely because he remained unbeaten on four occasions. But once you dig deeper, we will see that Dhoni was able to finish a game only once, despite being at the crease in the closing stages of the innings on four occasions.

He has invariably batted in positions lower than No. 6, once going down to even No. 9; only on one occasion did he bat at No. 5.

At this stage, one must assess Dhoni’s physical fitness and capacity to endure a punishing schedule of playing nonstop high-voltage cricket for close to seven weeks.

Coach Stephen Fleming's statement that Dhoni will not be able to bat for more than 10 overs conveys the true picture about his physical fitness. His work behind the stumps has been perfect, and his reflexes, while affecting stumpings and runouts, continue to be electric. But while batting, he can no longer replicate the magic of Dhoni of yore.

Dhoni’s USP was his ability to take the game deep while chasing seemingly insurmountable targets and finishing the game in style in the last over. He achieved this through a combination of exemplary temperament, enormous self-belief, superior game sense, and tremendous hitting power. At his peak, it appeared as if he could psyche the bowlers and make them land the ball where he wished to so that he could club them over the ropes for repeated sixers.

He backed his abilities to the hilt and retained his cool even in the most trying situations. This put the bowling side under pressure, and they often succumbed to it, sending down loose deliveries or making lapses on the field. The net result was that Dhoni was able to win close matches with amazing regularity, earning him the well-deserved reputation of one of the best finishers in the history of limited-overs cricket.

What has happened to these famed skill sets now? Dhoni still retains his game sense and temperament but is no longer the clean and powerful striker of the ball that he used to be. Opposing sides have found that Dhoni finds it difficult to get the ball off the square when spinners are bowling. That's why we see spin bowlers being utilised at the death when Dhoni is at the crease. The only occasion when Dhoni converted a close match into a win was against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), when Rishabh Pant was more worried about Shivam Dube's ability to take apart the spinners and tapped Shardul Thakur for the penultimate over. Dhoni pounced on this opportunity to face a fast bowler in the end overs and successfully piloted CSK to a rare win.

Ironically, it was the bigger fear about Dube’s ability that prompted Pant to plump for Thakur, which also spoke volumes about Dhoni's fall in stature in the eyes of his opponents.

It is often quoted that a sportsperson should retire when people ask him “why” and not “why not”. As one of the shrewdest cricketers to have played for India, Dhoni will undoubtedly be aware about this dictum. Hence, one can reasonably expect him to hang up his boots when he feels he is no longer fully equipped to continue playing the game. But the anguish felt by the followers of the game and his fans as he moves to this decision threatens to cast a shadow on his previous performances and the joy those memories bring with them.

For followers of the game who watched Dhoni in action when he was at his peak, its is difficult to watch him struggle at the crease. The travails of age has caught up with him and his body can no longer reach where his mind wills it to be. He may still play a couple of cameos and win the occasional game for his side but this will not erase the fact that he is way past his prime. He will turn 44 in a couple of months, and the writing on the wall is clear.

All good things in the world have to come to an end. It is time for Dhoni to bid adieu to the world of competitive cricket.