Set in 2007...

Mahendra Singh Dhoni took decisions silently. He knew his strategies were good. Even before making his debut last year, he used to take decisions mentally as he watched India play. Sometimes Dada's decisions matched with his. Sometimes they didn't. But MS knew internally he was more often right than wrong.

Now he was beginning to realize that a strategist is not necessarily a good captain. Especially when you're the captain of a team in tatters, ruined by an Australian coach, left in shambles by a foreigner destroying everything Dada had built, brick by brick, in the last decade.

MS always felt he had been given a privilege that his Dada had been stripped off. Dada had been the glue holding the team together. Every single person in the team, all the seniors, thought the world of Dada. And was he blaming them? Of course not. He thought the world of Dada, too.

No one in the team thought he was eligible to be captain; at least that was MS thought. How could they, anyway? Some of them had been in the team for years...and he was so new. That, mingled with their loyalty towards Dada meant that MS had absolutely no desire to captain this team.

He could take decisions, and take them well.

So he became the silent strategist.

He did not feel the need to be a person you could confide in anytime, a warm guardian figure like Dada, because it was simply no good trying impossible things.

Dada was Dada. He was just...Dada's Mahiya.

A shadow. A second choice. An imposition.

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On the eve of India leaving for the T20 World Cup 2007, Mahi got a call from Dada. It wasn't unexpected, because Dada had been calling him a lot since the change in captaincy came about.

"So Mahiya," began Dada cheerfully. "Your first international tournament as captain!"

He was so ridiculously ungrudging that Mahi wanted to cut the call.

"Yes, I guess," he mumbled.

"Make sure you enjoy every bit of it, ok? Make sure it stays with you as one of the best memories of your life. Don't worry too much about the result, just enjoy yourself."

"Dada, we're going for a World Cup!"

"What did I always tell you?"

Mahi grunted.

"Maihya, what did I always tell you?" Dada's tone was quite stern now, so Mahi felt compelled to say, albeit a little sulkily, "Treat the World Cup matches just like any other cricket match."

"Good," said Dada. "You just remember that."

"I will..." said Mahi. "..try," he added.

Dada sighed.

"And there was another thing I wanted to tell you," he said suddenly. "You know there's a kid making his debut in this tournament?"

Mahi felt annoyed. Of course he knew the details of the team.

"Yeah, Rohit Sharma. And Dada, of course I know the details of the team!"

"I'm sure you do," said Dada, sounding suspiciously sarcastic to Mahi. "Well, just take care that he fits into the team smoothly."

"How can I take care about whether someone fits in or not?"

"You're the captain, Mahi," said Dada, sighing again.

"You're still the captain," said Mahi.

"We've talked this through." Dada sighed a third time.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of seniors to ensure he fits in."

"It gets hard to deal with your stubbornness after a point of time. Go sleep now. It's late, and you have to leave early tomorrow."

"I know I have to leave early tomorrow!"

"Well, isn't that great."

He was definitely being sarcastic now.

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Rohit was so excited in the morning of India's flight to South Africa that he was awake from 4 in the morning. [And that was a huge deal, because he could never wake up at a respectable hour.]

He was debuting for India. Not only was he debuting for India, he was debuting for India in a World Cup.

When he finally reached the airport, he was bogged by a dizzying attack of nerves.

Sachin sir.

Sachin sir was sitting right there. There was even a seat beside him. Dare he...?

Of course he daren't.

Yuvraj paaji.

God, Yuvraj paaji.

Rohit stood in the shadows, horrified to find his knees trembling. He couldn't go and face the national team...his idols...the people he worshipped.

He simply dared not.

"Rohit?"

Rohit was so nervous that he almost had a heart-attack on hearing a voice near him. Turning, he saw it was the captain.

"Yes..." Rohit had a minor panic attack about what to call him. "...sir," he said finally.

"There's no need to call me sir," said Mahi, feeling extremely awkward. He was sure he wasn't even that much older than Rohit. "And welcome to the team," he said, remembering Dada's words.

"Thank...thank you," Rohit was stammering and he knew it, but he definitely couldn't help it. If he couldn't call him sir what would he call him? Before he could stop himself, he asked, "What can I...er...call you..."

Mahi smiled a little. Rohit's nervousness was kind of putting him at ease.

"Dhoni bhai...or Mahi bhai or anything. It's not a big deal," said Mahi.

"Ok," said Rohit.

Some other member of the team hailed Mahi.

"See you in the bus, Rohit," said Mahi, going away.

Rohit skulked in the shadows till their flight was announced.

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In the bus at the airport, poor Rohit had the misfortune of sitting in Yuvraj's seat.

Mahi listened to Yuvraj bullying him over it, as was his nature, and Mahi suddenly found himself feeling one of his rare bursts of disgust.

The poor kid was so scared that he was practically trembling, and look at Yuvraj. Mahi debated about calling Rohit over to sit with him, but then decided against it. Yuvraj might take offense; and anyway, what guarantee was there that he wouldn't end up scaring Rohit furthur?

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By the time India had played the first match, Rohit did not feel quite so nervous in front of the team, but it was all still very intimidating. Mahi bhai didn't talk much. He just gave a few instructions at the practice sessions, otherwise he pretty much remained to himself. Maybe that was the reason why he felt Mahi bhai to be the most intimidating of all.

Rohit had the bad habit of forgetting stuff, and more than he gets a chance to play, he found himself praying that no such fiasco occured with this team; at least not in this tournament.

It was no good, as he soon found out.

On the way from the Jo'burg airport to the hotel, Rohit forgot his phone on the bus. By the time he discovered it, it was far too late.

And Rohit knew he was done for.

He couldn't go and tell any of the seniors he had been this irresponsible. Maybe they'd send him right back to India.

During that day's practice session, Mahi noticed that Rohit was looking positively terrified for some reason.

Out of nowhere he remembered his first days in the ICT.

He remembered his own nervousness.

He remembered feeling he would never fit in.

Most of all, he remembered Dada's warm smile.

Before he realized, he had strode up to where Rohit was batting at the nets.

"Rohit? You ok?"

Rohit was surprised to hear that.

"Yeah...yeah, I am," he managed to stammer, because though he wasn't alright, he couldn't very well say so to the captain.

"Come for a walk with me?" Mahi found himself saying.

Rohit complied without a word.

"What's bothering you?" asked Mahi, unusually gently for him. "You look worried."

Mahi bhai sounded like he was concerned. Rohit began to think that he would not yell at him if he told him the truth after all.

"Mahi bhai...I left my phone in the bus," mumbled Rohit tentatively.

Mahi almost laughed. This was what had been worrying him so much?

"Oh, that's nothing to bother about, Ro," said Mahi bhai, the nickname slipping out automatically. "I'll get it retrieved in less than an hour."

"But the bus left four hours ago," said Rohit.

"Well, you could have told me earlier," said Mahi bhai with a hint of exasperation. "But you'll get it back anyway. Now go and practise, I need to make a few calls."

Rohit stood there for a moment in indecision.

Then he screwed up all his courage and said, "Do you think I may stay here till...till..."

"Till we have your phone back?" said Mahi bhai. "Sure, no problem, stay here."

Mahi called the logistics manager and while he talked, Rohit stood in the background, hoping a little because Mahi bhai sounded so confident.

He got the number of the bus driver and said into the phone, "Bhaiya can you please check if there's a phone on one of the seats?"

Mahi was silent as he searched. Rohit waited with bated breath.

"No?" repeated Mahi, and Rohit's heart sank. "Well, check if there's one under the seats."

Rohit looked a bit sick, so Mahi put an arm around his shoulder without thinking and drew him close.

"Great!" said Mahi, as the driver confirmed, and Rohit cried, "Did he find it?"

"Get it delivered to the hotel quickly," said Mahi and put away the phone. Turning to Rohit he said, "He got it. Under one of the seats." His voice took on a sterner note, though he still had his arm around Rohit.

"Sorry," said Rohit quickly, but suddenly he wasn't a bit nervous anymore.

When Mahi handed over his phone half an hour later, he saw Rohit looking at him with respect bordering on reverence. It was a bit weird for him, but he couldn't say it wasn't pleasant.

Rohit knew from that day that Mahi bhai could do anything. ANYTHING.

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Acting big brother to Rohit changed Mahi's outlook towards the position of 'captain'.

He slipped into Rohit's rooms one of those days and told him that he would debut against England. Rohit looked absolutely stunned; because he hadn't really thought that he would get to play in the tournament.

"Do you think that's...wise?" he asked.

"I think so, Rohit."

"Er..."

"You're nervous, Ro. We're both nervous. You're nervous because it's your international debut. I'm nervous because this is my first tournament as captain," said Mahi bhai tactfully, though he was being truthful as well.

"Really?" asked Rohit.

"Yeah...we can get through the nervousness together though, don't you think?"

Rohit quite liked the sound of doing anything with Mahi bhai.

"Ok..."said Rohit. "Ok."

Mahi bhai smiled and ruffled his hair. "Sleep now. Tomorrow's your first match, and remember, we treat a World Cup match just like an ordinary cricket match."

"Ok," said Rohit again.

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In all the years to come, Mahi bhai and his Ro's relation never changed.

Mahi bhai was the one who pulled him into the team's mainstream.

Ro was the Mahi bhai's first younger brother, the first of a hundred other kids who would look at Mahi bhai with as much reverence as Rohit did that day.

Later, during one of their fights, when Virat kept asserting to Rohit that Mahi bhai was his, and only his, and Rohit was on the backfoot, Mahi bhai caught Rohit's eyes and winked.

And Rohit's self doubt vanished, because he knew Mahi could never not be his as well, and he straightened up to answer Vi back.