Opinion: MS Dhoni's return to form is major takeaway from IPL 2018

Twenty third March 2007 is one of the most forgettable days for the Indian Cricket. On this day India lost out to Sri Lanka in 2007 World Cup and crashed out of tournament even before going into last eight.

But I always remember this day in regard to MS Dhoni. Dejected and down, I was discussing the match with my cricket freak friend.

"Will we ever see another 25th June 1983 in our lifetime?" I asked. My friend quipped, out of nowhere "Rest assured, Dhoni will bring many such moments for you in days to come."

No doubt that even by March 2007, MSD had proved his credentials but still comment of my friend was bit intriguing because during that match against Sri Lanka, Dhoni was out for a first ball duck and was at the centre of anger of fans.

Dhoni took just six months to vindicate my friend when under his captaincy India won T-20 World Cup in September 2007. The same Ranchi crowd who pelted his house six months back after the World Cup debacle was garlanding him.

In next six years, Dhoni achieved everything which he could have dreamt – ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and top ICC Test ranking.

Now, let's switch over the discussion to the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League. After half the tournament is over, what are the key takeaways?

The first takeaway is that Gambhir, Yuvraj and Raina now don't have anything to offer and their prospects for national duty are now zilch. 

Second is that Ambati Rayadu can be a suitable option for number four position in India's One Day International squad.

The third is that youngsters like Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill are good future prospects.

But the most important takeaway from IPL-2018 so far is that MS Dhoni is still a force to reckon with.

Those who were sceptical about credentials and about his place in the Indian playing eleven must have changed their opinion.

Over the past 12-13 years, apart from being a mercurial captain, Dhoni has been one of the finest finishers of the game of all times. 

During an outstanding career, Dhoni created a sort of cult around him. His memorable six over the long-on that finished the final of 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup remains one of the defining moments of Indian cricket.

MSD is a man of strong conviction. When he announced his retirement from Test in early 2015, it was surprising. When India crashed out of 2015 Cricket World Cup, many believe that it is perhaps the end of Dhoni as well. But Dhoni had other ideas. He very well knows his strengths.

Of late during the past couple of years, fraternity started believing that Dhoni magic was waning. His finishing touch had lost and he was taking so many balls to get off the block. This is typical Dhoni's template.

He would cautiously take the innings to the end and then he would provide the massive final blow to seal things. In recent months though, this style of Dhoni failed at few occasions and fans were frowning.

But this IPL, it is a rejuvenated Dhoni. The typical Mahi mojo is back, with a bang. He is finishing the match for his side and the main difference is that he has seemed to have regained the knack of getting off the block without wasting many deliveries.

As ICC World Cup is around 13 months away, the new Dhoni is refreshing news for Indian cricket and he can again play a role of wonderful finisher down the order to the batting line-up, which has likes of Kohli and Rohit Sharma at the top.

Dhoni still has the lot to deliver for Indian cricket. Come 2019, maybe Dhoni will once again prove my friend correct and he play a vital role in bringing yet another proud moment for the Indian fans.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)