While chasing, India lost both the openers Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane cheaply and with an inexperienced middle order; that’s the moment Dhoni took the brave decision to walk in to bat ahead of Manish Pandey
India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plays a lofted shot against New Zealand during the third ODI at the Punjab Cricket Stadium Association Stadium in Mohali yesterday. Pic/AFP
Mohali: Not for the first time in his career, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has let his bat do all the talking. Under intense pressure from his detractors on his dodgy captaincy and dwindling batting skills of late, he needed to pull a rabbit out of the hat to keep India’s as well as his personal fortunes afloat. And he did it in a grand manner, so much so that nobody in near future is going to question his hold over the ODI team.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the third ODI here, India had let New Zealand get away from a tight corner and post a total of 285, thanks largely to a record ninth wicket stand of 84 between James Neesham and Matt Henry. What could have been a pedestrian total, the two converted into a formidable one. The detractors’ guns would have been loaded to take potshots at skipper Dhoni for letting New Zealand off the hook.
To add to the misery, while chasing, India lost both the openers Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane cheaply and with an inexperienced middle order, things did not look rosy for India. That’s the moment Dhoni took the brave decision to walk in to bat ahead of Manish Pandey. He had put his career on the line by his decision.
But what happened over the next couple of hours at a near-capacity Punjab Cricket Association Stadium will remain etched in the memory of all those present and also all those who viewed the match on TV.
Dhoni along with ODI-skipper-in-waiting Virat Kohli provided a grand display of batting under pressure to revive India’s hopes.
Dhoni is known as Captain Cool but of late is becoming Captain Courageous. He was quite cut up after the defeat in the second ODI in Delhi and with a lot at stake for him in this match, he decided to take the bull by its horns and decided to bat at No 4.
He went on to play one of his better innings in a long time, getting 80 from 91 balls with six fours and three sixes.
In the process, he became the fifth Indian and only the third wicketkeeper in ODI history to get past 9,000 runs. He also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s Indian record of most sixes in ODI (195), on the way. Of course, Dhoni would have been least interested in achieving milestones and his main aim would have been to see India overhaul the target and take the lead in the five-match series.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
