Among Dhoni, Sachin & Virat, Who’s Like Wine, Whiskey & Lemon Pop?

Few days back MS Dhoni said he was like ageing wine... so then what about Virat.

File photo of Virat Kohli (L), MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar (R).

(Photo: AP/PTI/Altered by Liju Joseph)

MSD is a modern master, a one-of-his-kind A-list celebrity who shuns publicity and chooses to remain intensely private. Charmingly old-school, he is not one to spread himself across various social media platforms, nor does he waste time with image gurus who speak breathlessly about engaging with fans, connecting with youth and sharing personal information with the world outside.

What is churning inside MSD's serenely composed exterior or what is going to happen next is rarely, if ever, known.

MSD maintains dignified silence on issues, is normally out of bounds for the media and in a contemporary world where everyone is pushy and so in-your-face, keeps a respectful distance. Which is why, with each passing day, his aura grows and the mystery and curiosity about him deepens.

The only time MS Dhoni 'interacts' with the 'rest of the world' is when he chooses to grace an occasional press conference. Even then, MSD plays the deflection game, skilfully avoiding all verbal bouncers and nasty no balls. If asked something dodgy, he smiles and moves on. Persist with such questions and the likely response is a witty put down. Ok, he seems to say gently, next question.

But the other day in the West Indies, after being named man of the match, MSD made an interesting comment about himself. Asked about his performance he said, typically tongue in cheek and with characteristic understatement, that he was like wine –getting better with age. Just a passing one-liner but, coming from MSD, it says a lot.

Nobody doubts that MSD knows a thing or two about cricket and he has, pardon the annoying cliche, literally been there, done that. Describing himself as wine, MSD perhaps was referring to his vast experience, and that he has improved his craft as the years rolled by. Wine improves with age (so, it is said) and MSD today, like excellent wine, is mellow, smooth, mature.

Behind a surface understanding of MSD's casual remark, of players maturing with experience, is hidden a larger truth. The making of a cricket star is a journey that demands patience. Just as wine takes time to mature, a player grows slowly as he learns on the job.

If wine requires time, and as Rome was not built in one day, cricketers too don't come ready made, ready to use. Also, unlike coffee that is instant and noodles that take two minutes to cook, there is no fast forward button to develop quality in players.

Of course, as with all other 'rules', there are exceptions to this general trajectory of player growth. SRT, for instance, was a top quality wine even when he first took strike in a test (at age16!) and remained one for 20 years to score 100 international hundreds.

Some others are not wine, but more like soda. Think Virender Sehwag, a no-fear 'I am like this only' player with a mindset of a cricket commando. His batting style remained unchanged over 100 matches, across formats. Get your eye in before you play shots, said the coaches. Go take a walk, said Viru. Viru was ready from day one, he played in the same gear all his life. Mellowing with age? Caution to blend with aggression? Arre nahin, not for this champion. He was always fizzy, quick to pop out of the bottle, unrestrained and uninhibited.

Yuvraj too is in the soda category because even after 17 years of international cricket, including 40 tests and 304 ODIs, he has the same strengths and failings with which he started. He was murderous/destructive and vulnerable/inconsistent then, same now. Change in style, approach or execution? Not very much and in that lies his enduring charm. There is always hope he will create magic, if not in this innings then certainly next time.

(Photo: AP)

There are others who transition from soda to whiskey by curbing their aggressive streak and showing respect to the opposition. This is done by tweaking technique, sensible shot selection, embracing caution and eliminating risk. These are players who play the percentages and who shift across three formats, jumping from one operating system to another. In this frantic world, time is a luxury, so following processes become paramount. Each exam has a different curriculum, each student has to cram different lessons to get across the line.

King Kohli is the best representative of this breed. At this stage of his wonderful career, after 50 tests or so, he is top quality whisky soon to become mature wine. Pujara is difficult to slot – certainly not the brilliant soda kind, nor yet the smoothly aged wine sort.

Among cricketers from the generation gone, Dravid and Laxman would sit in the same box as MSD – masters who evolved with time, using experience gained along the journey to navigate through the challenges of international cricket.

Sport is about winning and losing, but also about individual brilliance lighting up the stage on which they perform. Gifted players like MSD are driven towards excellence, programmed to raise standards and getting better. Like wine.