"Figured out why I am getting so much hate today" - Martin Guptill cheekily recalls running MS Dhoni out on this day in 2019 World Cup semi-final
Former New Zealand batter Martin Guptill posted a cheeky remark while recalling the day that marks the fifth anniversary of his direct hit to run out MS Dhoni in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final. With the Men in Blue dire straits at 24/4 in pursuit of New Zealand's 239, the result looked a foregone conclusion.
The situation worsened for the Indians as they were reduced to 92/6 in the 31st over when Dhoni walked out to bat. Yet, never one to be fazed by a daunting situation, the champion finisher absorbed the pressure and took India within striking distance of a famous victory.
However, with 25 runs needed off 10 deliveries, the fateful moment of the run-out arrived. Attempting to keep the strike, Dhoni pushed for a deuce after pulling the ball towards the short fine leg region.
Guptill sprinted across and fired a bullet throw from the deep to catch Dhoni just short of his ground with a breathtaking direct hit. Needless to say, the moment ended India's World Cup hopes as they were reduced to 216/8 with an improbable 24 needed off 9 deliveries.
Guptill took to his Instagram handle and posted now-deleted images of the runout with the below caption:
"Figured out why I am getting so much hate today."
The ill-fated moment also turned out to be Dhoni's final appearance for India as they lost by 18 runs to bow out of the tournament.
Meanwhile, New Zealand suffered a similar heartbreaking defeat to hosts England in a Super Over in the grand finale.
"I get plenty of hate mails from there" - Martin Guptill
In an interview last year, Martin Guptill admitted to still getting hate messages from Indian fans over the MS Dhoni run-out in the 2019 World Cup.
Renowned for his incredible fielding, the former Kiwi cricketer also produced similar brilliance in the 2011 ODI World Cup to run AB de Villiers out in the quarterfinal and effectively end South Africa's title hopes.
"In other words, the whole of India doesn't like me. I get plenty of hate mails from there. It's one of those things that happened so quickly in the moment. All I remember was I saw the ball go up and I then I thought, oh no, it's coming sort of more towards me. So I put the skates on to get on with that run. I knew there was no chance of a throw at the stumps, but I just tried to have a shot and only had one and a half stumps to aim at and I just got lucky. The stars aligned, and it was a perfect throw," said Guptill to Hindustan Times.
Martin Guptill retired from international cricket in November 2023 after a stellar career from 2009 to 2022.