You cannot really blame Bangladesh fans for expecting their team to win Asia Cup 2016. Their team has done a tremendous job in all limited-overs cricket since ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, beating Pakistan, India, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Some may say all their 2015 success has come at home; but then, the Asia Cup was also to be played at home. And they did an excellent job, beating Sri Lanka and Pakistan on their way to the final. They were supposed to clash against India — who had knocked them out of the World Cup last year, an incident that had not gone very well with them.
If one had followed social media keenly, the fury of Bangladesh fans on Rohit Sharma being ruled not out knew no bounds. Then they found solace when Bangladesh shocked India by unleashing Mustafizur Rahman: India had conceded the series before they could realise what Mustafizur was about. And the celebrations were worth a watch.
They rejoiced their route to the final in Asia Cup, and rightly so. Unfortunately, they carried things a bit too far, when a blatantly tasteless meme — one of Taskin Ahmed celebrating with MS Dhoni’s decapitated head — had surfaced on social media. Full Cricket Updates: India vs Bangladesh, Asia Cup T20 2016 Final at Mirpur
As always, Dhoni took field without much fuss. The usual poise was there, even after Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya went for the occasional expensive over. Rohit Sharma perished early; and Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli carried India almost over the line.
Halfway through the partnership, the camera focused on a padded-up Suresh Raina. Not Yuvraj Singh or Hardik Pandya then, we thought. Indeed, it was none of them.
As the match reached its dying stages, the camera panned to the dugout again; Dhoni was there, all set to go. Once again the face did not reflect emotions. The possible move evoked memories of World Cup 2011 final.
He would promote himself above Raina or Yuvraj or Pandya, we knew. We simply knew.
Soumya Sarkar pulled off a blinder to dismiss Dhawan. And Dhoni walked out, with 22 to be scored from 14 balls. India were still favourites, but stranger things have happened to India. The Canberra ODI earlier this year, for example…
Dhoni timed the first ball he faced, and Kohli ran as if his life depended on it to give Dhoni the strike back. The next ball fetched a single.
19 from 2 overs.
Al-Amin Hossain would later win The Coolest Player (?) of the Series. To many he was the bowler of the tournament, perhaps not at par with Mohammad Aamer in impact, but taking wickets more frequently than anyone.
His first ball disappeared over mid-wicket, sealing the match and hushing Shere Bangla Stadium for the day.
The Bangladeshi fielders, to their credit, did not give up. Two balls later Mahmudullah pulled off a spectacular save at long-off. They got three. Dhoni was back on strike.
9 from 9.
A loft over extra-cover. Almost a six.
It did not matter, for he finishes with sixes. As he did, the ball after.
***
For once, MS Dhoni had walked out with an added mission: to teach a lesson. Or so it seemed, to a casual viewer.
For no cricketer, no human being can accept a morphed picture of his decapitated head doing rounds all over the internet.
Or maybe we read him, his promotion up the order wrong, for Dhoni can be near-superhuman when it comes to controlling emotions. Maybe it was another calculated move.
But the romantic wants to believe otherwise.