Like many of you right now, India is glued to their TV sets watching the largest Cricket event of the year at the moment. Indian Premiere League has become a household brand in past 11 years. And it all started (discounting the failed ICL) with the original eight franchise putting together their minds in building their first ever teams in 2008. I remember how proud I felt when my home team Rajasthan Royals lifted the trophy in their first ever campaign, defying all the odds and naysayers. Somehow, I have been nursing that hopeless desire year after year and it just agonizes me watching Royals playing the way they did last night.
But while all the other teams built their core group from mostly their home states, Chennai Super Kings owners trusted in one alien- a proven battle hardened campaigner Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Rest, as they say, is history. CSK and MSD have become synonymous since then. If MSD retires one day from Cricket and fights an election from any constituency in Tamilnadu, he will win without moving a muscle irrespective of his opponents. In quite similar fashion, it didn't matter much who the opponents or rest of the players in CSK are. I can't think of a single season where CSK played sub standard, and keep in mind that their Rainas, Jadejas, Bravos haven't clicked every season. Mahi has displayed his leadership abilities in turning average players into match winners season after season. And their last match was a testimony to this magical ability of his.
A small incident on field in the last over against KXIP where match was almost won already, but MSD's mind was steadily on improving their run rate. Win or lose, every single run wasted irritates Dhoni on the field. And in that moment, a young Indian pacer Deepak Chahar bowled two wayward full toss no-balls. It appeared as if this young bowler, not a specialist in death overs had buckled under the pressure.
But here comes the benefit of having a leader like MSD in the team. Support staff had trained with Chahar extra hard in the nets with MSD himself around. As was shown in a clip later, Chahar had been confidently hitting a shoe kept on the yorker mark in the nets quite frequently. After those two disastrous deliveries, MSD could be seen giving the bowler an earful. Though the words weren't audible, MSD did scold the bowler, but boosting his morale at the same time. Mahi invoked his confidence from those practice sessions, and the bowler listened. For the rest of the over, Chahar bowled fantastic and even bowled out David Miller on the last delivery.
MSD has often been labelled lucky, be it Joginder Sharma in T20 world cup finals or any other such moments. But I find in him a unique leadership ability- influence. He influences people around him with his personal aura of calmness. At the end of the day, a general doesn't fight a war, it's the soldiers who do. But it's the general's influence on his soldiers' morale, which can turn the tide of any war. CSk have just been bloody fortunate in having a general like MSD in their ranks.
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