Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a wicket-keeper par-excellence. A finisher better than the world has ever seen. A captain, the world reveres. Have we ever seen a better combination? Have we found any cricketer across the world who has even two of these qualities and can match MS Dhoni for it?
The answer remains NO, a big NO!
Then, why are we even trying to replace him?
It's simple. MS Dhoni is once-in-a-generation kind of cricketer. Before him and after him the world might never see an MSD. Yes, they might find someone better than him or will find someone in the future who will be compared to him. Just the way it happens with cricketers of each generation.
A Virat Kohli is compared with Sachin Tendulkar, at times, is judged to be better than him in ODIs and in terms of consistency. We await the day some Indian breaks Sachin's record and hope it is Kohli.
Let me explain this in another way, Kumar Sangakkara retired from international cricket in 2015, have Sri Lanka found a replacement?
Adam Gilchrist, who before Dhoni was regarded as the best wicket-keeper-batsman there exists, retired way back in 2008. It's been 9 years now and Australia is still struggling to find a keeper-batsman with half as much as talent as Gilchrist.
Before and after and in-between India has tried many a keeper-batsmen in ODIs and T20s. Ajay Ratra, Vijay Dahiya, Parthiv Patel, Wriddhiman Saha, Rishab Pant, Sanju Samson, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, KL Rahul, the list is endless.
We have given chances to many of them but not enough faith has been put in their skills.
A player like MS Dhoni who plays so well under pressure, who reads the situation better than most, who relies on self-ability to guide his team to victory, who gets the pulse of the game the moment he enters the stadium.
His I-do-not-need-to-see-the-stumps-to-run-someone-out technique has baffled the best in the world!
His I-will-take-off-a-glove-before-the-last-ball is someone the entire wicket-keeping clan copies.
His I-will-take-it-down-to-the-last-over-and-win-you-the-game is something even the opposition knows and yet somehow they do not have a solve for it!
His non-chalant stumping style has even the batsmen mesmerized. Infact, when Danushka Gunathalika came down the track to Yuzvendra Chahal in the second ODI v Sri Lanka on the 24th of August, 2017, he had given up when he missed the ball. Because once you come down the track and there is a certain MSD behind the stumps, you.will.get.out!
There aren't too many cricketers from the current lot who command a position in the team or who can easily come and replace MSD.
But, isn't that what we thought of Sachin, of Sehwag, of Ganguly as captain or of Kumble as the match-winner in India, or of the countless legends across the world?
Do not try and replace someone, try and find one that fits a role in the team and figure out. Cricket is, afterall, a team game. It never was and never will be about one individual.
A game is never won on the basis of the presence of one genius in a team.
There will never be another Dhoni, but there might be a new Pant, a new Samson, a new Saha.
Do not try and replace Dhoni, find someone new! Open your minds.
