Few Observations On Dhoni
Over 4 weeks have passed since Chennai Super Kings lifted the IPL for the 5th time. Among many events that happened during the game, there is just one moment from that game that I can't forget. No, it's not the one where Dhoni hands over the trophy to Jadeja and Rayudu. He he has done this in the past it wouldnt look classy. It's not even the Jadeja last shot, rolling his wrists to smartly turn Mohit Sharma's near Yorker to the boundary down the fine leg. Somewhere between Jadeja hitting the winning runs and CSK team storming onto the field for celebration, there is an image of Dhoni sitting quietly with his head down, celebrating victory in his own way. There is something about it that captivated my attention. I will try my best to explain in following passages.
The experts and observers has often called Dhoni "captain cool" because of the way he handles the situation on the field. Take for example the moment in IPL final match where Senapati fielding at mid on fumbles a straight ball coming towards him. No runs were leaked, no major event happened. But Dhoni realizing the tense situation that the player is in, asks him to take a deep breath. The very next ball Senapati runs batsman out at the bowlers end. The fact that Dhoni observed it and addressed speaks volumes of his leadership qualities. There are numerous examples that I can think of that exhibit Dhoni's remarkable calmness, it would take one whole blog post to list them all.I will leave that to fan boys and reel makers. Going back to that moment, I pondered how does a man who is contemplating the end of the career sit quietly on that bench when all his team members stormed on to the field to celebrate 5th win. Despite winning his 5th title why didn't we see an outburst reaction similar to his team mates. How come he stayed equipoised in such situation. How?
Well, here's my interpretation and this has few references to Bhagavad Gita.
In the middle of the battle field Kurukshetra, a highly skilled warrior Arjuna lays down his arm and refuses to fight against his own brethren whom he spend his childhood. Krishna, his charioteer and guide fires him up, asks him to buckle up and asks Arjuna to behave wisely and become "sthita prajna" - an equipoise state, where no matter what the outcome of your action is , a win or a loss, you stay balanced by staying away from the results. You act in a manner that reflects calmness.
arjuna uvācha
sthita-prajñasya kā bhāṣhā samādhi-sthasya keśhava
sthita-dhīḥ kiṁ prabhāṣheta kim āsīta vrajeta kim
Arjuna asks : How does someone look, talk, walk and conducts himself in balanced state
To which Krishna responds in a series of expositions : One whose mind stays undisturbed by either good or bad is a sthitha prajna.
yaḥ sarvatrānabhisnehas tat tat prāpya śhubhāśhubham
nābhinandati na dveṣhṭi tasya prajñā pratiṣhṭhitā
It's a very simple tool but very hard to practice. Like that Rajesh Khanna character in Bawarchi who says - "It's so simple to be happy, but it's so difficult to be simple". I have been trying my best to do it, it's just not possible unless you have additional tools. Dhoni's reaction at the end of that match was to me reflection of this state. His approach is very different to his peers such a Virat Kohli who brings out his best using his aggressive nature or a laid back Rohit Sharma who varies his approach depending on what situation depends and KL Rahul .. err.. fill in the blanks..
I don't know if Dhoni actively practices teachings from Gita. Although there was a picture of him holding the book floating around, but it hardly means anything. Even Rahul Gandhi does a Temple run when the election time arrives. Most of you might remember the game against Bangladesh where he ran out the batsman by running towards the stumps. Go back and see the video again, you will realize that he was absolutely stable and aware when he completed that action. Whilst his team was jumping around winning the game, he just ran past the stumps and calmly said "Out". Thats how he approaches every game, professional in his approach, neither too aggressive(like Kohli) nor laid back like Rohit.
As easy as the concept of stitha prajna sounds, it's the most difficult thing to practice. It requires you to train your mind to build a safe layer around you, a net where it protects you from any negative thoughts or anything that is intended to harm your mental state. It's almost like a spider trying to build it's own net to climb higher.
I am not really sure if I am over intellectualizing Dhoni's behavior pattern. It is something rare that you come across such a sportsperson conduct himself in a way that is in complete contrast to his peers - Yuvraj, Harbhajan and co. It's not that he hasn't had his share of failures. It's just that he has handled it the way that looks appropriate and enough to keep his mental state balanced.
That to me is something that everyone should try to emulate.