Man for all seasons
His legion of admirers is only growing by the day for Dhoni.
As the playing field turns into a heavily-guarded fortress on match days, one should be really crazy to even think about scaling the fence that stands in between the players and the crowds. Such is the cult status of M.S. Dhoni, his die-hard fans would do anything to get closer to their hero.
The incidents of Dhoni fans breaching the security barrier have been quite a few of late and the most recent was during the IPL match at Pune. Invariably, the over enthusiastic fans who make their way into the field would bow down to touch the feet of Dhoni.
At the same match, a girl had a special message that would even make Dhoni blush. “Sorry future partner, but MS Dhoni will always be my first love. I love you Mahi!,” an yellow placard screamed.
Dhoni is central to CSK’s huge popularity. To get a glimpse of him, fans came in droves to watch training sessions at Chepauk in the run-up to the IPL-11 and even when CSK were forced to shift their base the faithful took a special train to Pune.
Dhoni’s finishing powers might have waned over the last few years, but there is no taking away his demigod status. The Chennai Super Kings skipper triggered a social media frenzy when he turned the clock to produce a vintage knock against Kings XI Punjab despite suffering a stiff back. His post-match TV interview gave more goosebumps to his fans.
“My back is pretty bad but God has given me lot of power and I don’t need to use my back a lot. My arms can do the job,” Dhoni had said emphatically. While it looked Dhoni would miss the following match, he surprised everyone by turning up at the toss and he even kept wickets.
Despite being one of the oldest members in the current India listed-overs team and in the CSK squad, Dhoni is one of the fittest cricketers.
Former India skipper Kapil Dev recently said the way Dhoni maintains his fitness was fabulous. “He is very fit and in terms of overall ratings, he is one of the top players in terms of fitness. This IPL will give him strength to do bigger things as a player. He was fabulous the other night (against Punjab). Batting up the order is going to do a world of good to his batting. He will open his arms and shoulder at will. I am sure he is enjoying every moment of it,” Kapil was quoted as saying.