Illustration by Suman Choudhury

I saw him walking down the aisle on the Indian Airlines flight from Ranchi to New Delhi. Nobody seemed to have recognised him as he put his cricket kit into an overhead luggage rack and sat quietly by a window at the rear of the plane.

It was the first week of March. And Ranchi was obsessed with only one name those days: Enos Ekka. With both the United Progressive Alliance and the National Democratic Alliance claiming majority after the just-concluded Jharkhand Assembly polls, he was the Kolebira legislator whose name figured in both lists submitted to the governor. Ekka?s multi-million nod could tilt the balance in either coalition?s favour.

In that bizarre moment of the state?s political history, who had the time or inclination to spare a second look at Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the state?s only international cricketer?

In any case, the Ranchi boy appeared to have blown his big chance in Bangladesh last December. He was run out without scoring on debut. When Dhoni went out to bat a second time in the next one-day international, India needed 230 to win and was struggling at 131 for five.

It was like a script in search of a hero. And, for a while, Dhoni looked like becoming one. But then he failed to keep a pull down and Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar took a brilliant catch at mid-wicket. The moment was lost forever.

That shot was still on my mind when I went up to Dhoni and introduced myself. He was happy to chat and, I guess, to be noticed. With his caveman locks that are now the nation?s most discussed hairdo and his well-chiselled face, Dhoni looked like a stud one innings away from stardom. He said, he was on his way to Delhi to join Indian Airlines. ?I had an offer from the Tatas earlier. But finally it didn?t work out,? he said.

But I wanted to talk to him about that fatal shot. ?I went against my natural style,? he explained. ?Usually I don?t keep the ball down when I play the pull. I hit over the field. But I tried to be extra cautious because I knew that the team was in trouble,? Dhoni said.

He needn?t have explained. I knew the way he batted. On Ten Sports, I had seen him pummel Pakistan A, keep wickets brilliantly and win the man-of-the-series award.

And, yet, I had also seen India A coach Sandeep Patil recommend fellow gloveman Dinesh Karthick over him. He was a little upset about that. ?I don?t know why he did that because I have also played well under him,? Dhoni rued.

But he was confident that he could still make it as a regular in the team. The Jharkhand cricketer was aware that a triangular contest was on for the wicket-keeper?s slot. ?There is Parthiv, Dinesh and me. It is simple: whoever keeps and bats better will succeed,? he said.

We chatted for some more time about his flamboyant batting style and the importance of making the most of opportunities that would come during the forthcoming Pakistan tour. But even as I gave him my card and took his mobile number, I wondered if he would ever play that big knock in a big game.

In Kochi, when Dhoni again holed out in the deep trying to play as per the team?s requirements, I wondered if the son of a retired pump operator, who had given up football goalkeeping to play cricket, was destined to fail at the highest level. How wrong I was! At Vishakhapatnam, India found the great missing link in its one-day team: a wicketkeeper-batsman who wields the willow like the wind.

Now, I guess, Sandeep Patil will shut up forever. And Mahendra Singh Dhoni will never walk into an aeroplane unnoticed again.