Knew Thala will retire, heart did not accept: MS Dhoni 'Superfan' Saravanan Hari

His phone rings 10 minutes before the start of the IPL 2020 match between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai. With a sense of irritation and excitement, he shouts, “Sir, please call up tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 PM. I am busy watching Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad.” In just 20 seconds, the message is clear. Do not disturb this cricket ‘fanatic’ when Chennai Super Kings is playing in an IPL match.

For many years now in the Indian Premier League, there are certain fans who display their love for the club or an individual in many ways. There is Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, the ultimate Indian cricket team and Sachin Tendulkar fan who is painted with the Indian tri-colour cheering the team anywhere in the world. There is Ram Babu, who is also one of the fans of Indian cricket and MS Dhoni. In Chennai Super Kings, the fan following and love is on a different level. The most visible symbol of this love is by an individual. Be it on TV or at the stadium, you cannot miss him. Totally painted in the grand yellow of the Chennai Super Kings franchise with the name MS Dhoni, this man has been the ultimate symbol of the love that the club and MS Dhoni enjoys. Saravanan Hari, the MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings Superfan, is THE ‘ultimate’ superfan.

Even in times of the coronavirus pandemic, Saravanan Hari is as cheerful and passionate about the game of cricket like he would be at the stadium. In an exclusive interaction with DNA, the MS Dhoni ‘superfan’ has said he does not miss going to the stadium as he understands the current times and is glad that something is better than nothing.

“We all have to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. My take on this is different. I feel that it is for our safety that the matches have been organised in the UAE. We should accept this whole-heartedly. We should take it in our stride that despite missing the thrill of watching from the stadium, we at least have the privilege of watching the games on TV. Players should come back safely after playing the matches and that is what we are praying. Organising matches without fans is a new experience and a ‘new normal’. Rather than saying we are missing all of this, we should be glad that there is something to fall back on,” Saravanan told DNA from Chennai.

The emotions of August 15, 7:29 PM

On August 15, 2020, at 7:29 PM IST, the entire cricketing world was in shock when MS Dhoni announced on his Instagram account that he had announced his retirement from international cricket.

Saravanan, who has also seen the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar in 2013, recollected some of the first moments which hit him at the time of the announcement. Saravanan admitted that he tried to be strong mentally, but his heart simple could not accept it. During the interaction, it made him emotional.

“For an individual, two things are important. What the heart says and what the mind thinks. I knew in my mind that Thala (MS Dhoni) would retire in the near future. My heart did not want to know when. At that moment, my mind took it but my heart could not accept that he had retired. I had to pull through with great difficulty and accept it,” Saravanan said.

For an Indian cricket fan, the emotional quotient of MS Dhoni’s retirement matched that of the millions when Sachin Tendulkar announced his retirement after a career of 24 years in 2013. But, Saravanan states MS Dhoni’s simplicity is what puts him in a different league.

“He retired in a very simple way with no grand ceremony. It happened even in the Test series in 2014 in Australia. He took this decision as there were lot of talented players waiting in the wings. Dhoni felt that if he vacated the place, many new faces will get a chance. That is the intention I felt in Thala. So, his heart convinced him with this intention and I am sure that is why he took the decision,” Saravanan said.

However, unlike Tendulkar’s retirement which was played out on a grand stage, there was nothing for MS Dhoni. No Grand Farwell or match or any occasion. Saravanan prays that this does NOT happen for this simple reason. “If we organise a farewell game for MS Dhoni in front of millions of fans, it will be heartbreaking and we simply might not be able to take it. The way how he announced his retirement is absolutely fine,” Saravanan said.

Chennai Super Kings have had an inconsistent start to their IPL 2020 campaign with only three wins in eight games. Many experts have said the chances are slim for Chennai Super Kings to enter the knock-outs. When asked with this tricky situation, Saravanan roared with the passion that only Chennai Super Kings fans have.

“I just have one thing to say to these pundits - If we do not make it to the play-offs, so what? I know that they have a job to do. Is there a victory that we have not celebrated or a loss that we have not suffered? How many trophies we have won? Our support for the team is beyond all this,” Saravanan said.

In times of empty stadiums and the coronavirus, it is superfans like Saravanan who make cricket and the joy of watching a sheer pleasure.