Mrinal Kanti Banik
Launching pad of Captain cool Mahinder Singh Dhoni was supposed to be from Agartala, the capital city of Tripura. But, he missed the right flight from Kolkata which many of the veteran cricketers felt delayed his introduction to International cricket and deprived Agartala of his iconic “helicopter shot”. Blame it one car engine breakdown.
In 2001, Dhoni was selected to play in the East Zone squad of Duleep trophy and his first match was scheduled to be held in Agartala against South Zone. But, then 20 years old Dhoni, first got his letter late and then engine breakdown of the car he had rented to reach Kolkata ended all his prospects to play in the team. By the time he reached Kolkata, his flight took off and he was left to wait for another big call that came after two long years.
Some conspiracy theories also surfaced that claimed, the Bengal dominant East Zone was trying to promote keeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta in place of Dhoni who hailed from Bihar. However, the fate did not make him wait for long as within three years he got the call for his first ODI tour to Bangladesh and subsequently he kept on playing. Being the first ODI captain of Indian international cricket team to bag three ICC trophies–T20 World cup 2007, ICC World Cup 2011 and ICC Champions’ trophy 2013, he ruled the hearts of millions of Cricket enthusiasts across the globe before he announced his retirement from all forms of International cricket on August 15 last.
Speaking on the issue, former Ranji trophy player and Tripura Cricket Association Kishore Das said, “The sudden retirement of Mahendra Singh Dhoni will make Indian Cricket team lose many fans. Being one of the most successful captains of Indian team, he has shown as to how a match has to be played in pressure. Whatever you refer to him, captain cool, finisher or a tempo setter, he is the man who has made Indian cricket reach the next level after Sourav Ganguly”.
Former Ranji trophy player Debasish Debbarma also echoed the same and added, “his contribution to the Indian cricket team is unmatched and he is irreplaceable at this point”.
Senior cricketer Chiranjib Deb said, “At this point the back of the wickets will become weaker comparatively. The bench strength is surely not dried up for the international team but the way Dhoni used to lead the bowlers, take review calls and above all his presence in the field makes a big difference”.
Unfortunately, Dhoni never visited Agartala after that, not even for any domestic match.
(First Published in Tripura Times, dt August 17, 2020)
