What is a batsman without his bat? Dwell on that.
Imagine for a moment Donald Bradman standing up to Harold Larwood without one. Or Sunil Gavaskar taking on Malcolm Marshall with empty hands. Or fast forward a little further and visualise Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli stepping out leaving their willow behind.
Simply put, even the greatest of greats need their bats.
It then follows that all batsmen cannot avoid obsessing over the piece of wood they pick up. Even if the man in question were to be Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who made his name scoffing at the odds and by scripting his own rulebook.
At 43, Chennai Super Kings' very own Thala is believed to be planning a change of bat. He wants to unleash a 'lite' version of himself in IPL 2025.
The man, who always took to the crease with enough and more wood on his willow, we had reported, is now looking to shed some weight and head to the crease with just 1230 grams of willow accompanying him. Even his former CSK teammate and dear friend Suresh Raina had confirmed this.
The company building his bats is the very same bat maker who supplied the great Sunny Gavaskar with his willow. Four bats made by SG had reached Dhoni ahead of the IPL and he had been practising with them.
Will it turn out to be CSK's new lethal weapon in IPL 2025? Let's wait and see. Read our full story:
Dhoni's batting position
So, on to the next big question. Where will Dhoni bat?
His former teammate Robin Uthappa, who will be commentating, is of the opinion that we will continue to see the Chennai Super Kings' talisman arriving to the crease possibly in the slog overs.
"As far as Mahi is concerned, I think we will get to see glimpses of his brilliance because I have a feeling that he might bat at number 7 or number 8. Very much like last year, and we will see him bat between 12 and 20 balls through the season," Uthappa was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India.
Could the season see Dhoni bid adieu to the IPL too?
Uthappa, who had said last year that Dhoni's mind had remained up to date and only his body could come in the way, went much further this time around.
"I don't think the passion ever dies. MS' love for the game has not dwindled at all. I think his passion for the game keeps him going. At 43, I think he's got the fastest hands in the world as a wicketkeeper.
"And if you've got those skills and if you've got the passion to keep going. I don't think anything should stop you. I won't be surprised if he retires at the end of the season. But I won't be surprised if he even goes on to play for another four seasons after this," Uthappa told the news agency.
Sweeter words couldn't have fallen on the ears of Chennai Super Kings fans as they once again prepare to bleed yellow for their favourite team and player.
