By: Tarish Bhatt
All throughout his life, India captain MS Dhoni has stayed inside the batting crease and played those powerful shots all over the wicket. Be it playing the helicopter shot off toe-crushing yorkers, which were made into half-volleys by using the depth of the crease, or playing the cross batted shots (hook, pull and cut shots) – India’s most experienced cricketer has never got it wrong.
However, in the 1st ODI when India were in need of 11 runs from last six deliveries, Dhoni played a very unusual shot. He charged down the wicket and aimed to slog across the line. In the process, he top-edged the ball and offered an easy catch to Kagiso Rabada, South Africa’s new bowling sensation. Dhoni’s dismissal also brought curtains to India’s chance in the match.
Thereafter, the home team lost the match by five runs and the experts were not ready to forget Dhoni’s dismissal that easily. Some of Dhoni’s critics even went out of their way to describe how MS Dhoni the finisher is finished. But the man himself knew where he had gone wrong and was quick to rectify it in the next game.
Undoubtedly, Rabada is a good bowler with plenty of promise, but Dhoni tamed all the South African bowlers by staying inside the popping crease. Through this approach, he mesmerized the Indore crowd with a spectacular unbeaten 92. Dhoni batted with so much confidence in the match that it even rubbed on to the Indian bowlers.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and his men ran through the South African batting with ease. By the virtue of playing better cricket, India were rewarded with a 22-run win. Now that the series is leveled and India are once again geared up for third ODI in Rajkot on Sunday, all eyes will be on Dhoni’s deputy Virat Kohli, who isn’t amongst runs.
For all you know — his three catches in the previous game could boost his batting prowess. After all, he is hungry for runs like some of his other teammates – Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina.
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