Dhoni makes Salil Ankola's benefit game special

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni completes a run during a benefit match for former India paceman Salil Ankola (left) at the Andheri Sports Complex on Saturday. PIC/SURESH KK

Scintillating

Dhoni's fine gesture was followed by his scintillating innings of 96 off 46 balls which thrilled the Andheri crowd after Sachin Tendulkar's 43 off 29.

Surprises did not end with Dhoni's visit. Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman tried their hand with off-spin and Laxman could find some success. Of course, it was no surprise to see old fox Anil Kumble at his best. He appeared in prime form to trouble batsmen in the forthcoming Indian Premier League which starts on Friday.

The stands were decorated by the celeb factor and the sight of former stalwarts like Dilip Vengsarkar, Salim Durrani, Chandrakant Pandit and a host of current and former Mumbai players must have pleased Ankola no end.

He didn't stay away from the field. Though rusty, he showed he hadn't lost his craft while bowling to Tendulkar and Dhoni. He was emotional to see the kind of support he got from his admirers and teammates. His support for Tendulkar on the 1989-90 tour of Pakistan was well reported way back then and the batting maestro returned the favour through some wholesome backing for his former teammate. Ankola's benefit had the Indian cricket board's full backing. Nadeem Memon did a fine job in getting the pitch in shape at short notice. This was a benefit in the true sense of the term.

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