Last hurrah at home?

Ranchi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is quintessentially a modest man and no wonder he has politely declined to inaugurate the pavilion named after him at the JSCA Stadium, ahead of India’s third ODI against Australia.

The third ODI against Australia on Friday is expected to be Dhoni’s last game in his hometown.

Just like the Sunil Gavaskar stand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai or the Virender Sehwag gate at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, the swanky Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) stadium will have its very own ‘Mahendra Singh Dhoni Pavilion’.

“At the AGM last year, the decision was taken that the North Block stand that comprises media enclosure as well as VIP boxes would be named after Dhoni,” JSCA secretary Debashis Chakraborty said. However, Dhoni didn’t agree to inaugurate the stand, said Chakraborty. “We requested him but he said ‘Dada apne hi ghar mein kya inaugurate karna.’ (What’s there to inaugurate in my own house). He is still so humble and down to earth,” Chakraborty said.

There is a bit of celebrityhood attached to reflected glory but the lives that Dhoni touched over the years have a sense of belonging to him without trying to own him.

Whether childhood coach Keshab Ranjan Banerjee, biology teacher Sushma Shukla or Mecon Stadium in-charge Uma Kant Jena, there is a sense of fulfillment when they talk about their tiny but significant parts in the journey of one of India’s most successful captains.

The film ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’, which is played often on TV, is a guilty pleasure for Dhoni fans. And there is a curiosity about how different or similar the real life characters are from the reel ones when one roams around the industrial town to understand the Dhoni phenomenon.

“Some people asked me were you paid as they portrayed your character in the film and I was disgusted,” Banerjee said.

“I am not his biological father but a father figure. It’s a shame if a father demands anything from his son,” he asserted.

His Hindi has that distinct Bengali accent much like Rajesh Sharma’s portrayal in the film. “He was and still is a very shy boy. He could always hide his feelings with a smile. He knew that cricket was his calling for a life he wanted for himself, even more for his family. Mahi is still like that,” Banerjee found it difficult to hide his pride.

“I have got a couple of passes for the third ODI. I had called up Mahi’s mother and she had arranged for them,” he said.

Humility is something that almost everyone associates with Dhoni. “He was a very quiet child. I taught him biology in 7th and 8th standard. I remember asking him “Mahendra, you are Singh or Dhoni? He never liked that question. He replied ‘Maam hum Singh bhi hain aur Dhoni bhi’,” recalls Jawahar Vidya Mandir’s retired teacher Sushma Shukla.

Sushma became nostalgic talking about “Mahendra”. “He was getting 60 percent even when he was fully devoted to cricket. I remember that he bunked biology practical test once as he had some match to play and boarded the same train by which I was travelling. Probably, he knew I was there and one of his teammates came to me and said Ma’am you are Mahendra’s teacher. I said ‘who Dhoni?’. The boy informed that he has skipped biology practical test for a match. ‘But Ma’am, this boy will become world famous’. His words were prophetic,” Sushma said.