By: Drcricket7 Staff
After losing three matches to South Africa in familiar conditions, a win-less Team India was under intense pressure to stamp its authority over the visitors before the 2nd ODI, after the hosts came mighty close of winning at least two matches in the past.
One in Dharamsala (T20 opener) and the other in Kanpur (1st ODI), but couldn’t cross over the winning line. Those two close defeats could have shattered the best side in the world. The Indian team too was disappointed, but it is really not possible to subdue the indomitable spirit of a team which is led by MS Dhoni.
True to his reputation, MS Dhoni hit the ground running from the word go. He not only led the side from the front, but also rubbed his confidence level to the rest of his teammates. In the end, India emerged as the biggest gainer as they chocked South Africa in the 2nd ODI.
The fact that Dhoni is the most dangerous cricketer in the Indian team was proved once again through his superlative all-rounder performances (92 runs and four catches behind the stumps).
He himself was quite ecstatic and relieved after India leveled the series. He also made a telling statement at the end of the match. “If I can’t take the pressure, no one can,” he was quoted as saying in the media.
However, the same Indian team was in dire straits after losing some of the most important players like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli in the first phase of the match.
Ajinkya Rahane did justify his place at the top of the order by cracking his third consecutive fifty against South Africa. Thereafter, Dhoni took charge of things. The best part about his knock was the way he executed his shots all over the wickets and shared a few crucial partnerships with the lower-middle order batsmen and tailenders.
Incidentally, Dhoni’s invincible knock in the second match in Indore was the 60th ODI fifty of his career and fourth overall against South Africa. Right now, as a captain Dhoni is averaging more than 50 and which is very commendable.
There were other architects of India’s win in Indore (Rahane, Harbhajan Singh, Axar Patel and Bhuvneshwar Kumar), but it was Dhoni who made the difference. No one came close to him!
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