SK Elite: MS Dhoni's masterclass stuns Australia in Nagpur
The world is familiar with the name Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He is arguably one of the most popular cricketers not only in India but in most parts of the world. However, with his fame also comes a lot of scrutinies.
He peaked almost instantly after his arrival. Dhoni announced himself at the international arena by smashing a belligerent 148 against Pakistan in 2005. Six months later, he went one step better. Chasing 299 against Sri Lanka at Jaipur, Dhoni scored a brutal 183 not out, hitting 15 fours and 10 sixes, helping India chase the target with four overs to spare.
His growing stature, cool and calm head led to him being appointed as captain for the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and he soon became the captain in all the formats. Captaincy brought maturity to his batting which was evident. Whenever Dhoni bats, the entire country’s heart rate quickens and there’s always a sense of nervous excitement.
He has this wonderful ability and a happy knack of turning games around when all hope is lost. When he bats in full flow, he treats the crowd, viewers and everyone with some mind-boggling stuff. His street-smart nature is evident on the field in the way he plays.
And one such inning against Australia in Nagpur in 2009 in the second ODI of the 7-match series was on display when India needed their captain the most.
Australia toured India for a 7-match ODI series in October-November 2009. After a thrilling 4-run win in the first ODI, the Aussies, who won the toss and put India in, once again had their noses in front with India struggling at 97-3 in the 16th over when the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked out to bat ahead of the regular No. 5, Suresh Raina.
The first ball that Dhoni faced pinged him on the helmet. It was a nasty bouncer from Ben Hilfenhaus as Dhoni failed to get out the way. But what followed was a typical Dhoni masterclass.
He started off by picking the gaps, looking for ones and twos, but never let the run-rate dip. He kept the scoreboard moving along nicely along with Gambhir who was going well at the other end. It was in the 28th over that Dhoni was fuming after a bad collision with Mitchell Johnson.
Looking for a quick single, Dhoni collided with Johnson at the non-striker's end, stumbling his way into the crease. The skipper, who generally never lets his emotions out, clearly showed he was very unhappy with Johnson. After this incident, there were a few sedate overs and the Gambhir was run-out in the 34th over which ended a brilliant 119-run partnership.
The loss of Gambhir made Dhoni minimise the risks and along with Suresh Raina, he consolidated till the 40th over. It was only when the batting powerplay was taken in the 40th over, Dhoni started to open his shoulders.
He started finding the fence on a regular basis, almost every over. He started to showcase his wide range of powerful shots. The short-arm jab over mid-wicket, the pull, the fierce cut, the loft over long-off/long-on. He brought up his 100 in 93 balls in inimitable style with a six over long-off.
It was his 5th ODI hundred and his first against Australia and incidentally the first ODI hundred by an Indian captain against Australia. He wasn’t finished yet as he kept the foot pressed on the accelerator and along with Raina helped India finish with a mammoth score. Dhoni was eventually dismissed in the 50th over for 124 off 107 balls before India finished with 354 at the end of 50 overs. His innings comprised of nine fours alongside three massive sixes with a strike-rate of 115.88.
This was one of those mind-boggling knocks where Dhoni left the crowd, commentators and the viewers across the globe awestruck with a splendid display of maturity first and then brute power. He was in a murderous mode in the final 10 overs as there was no respite for the bowlers as they were taken to the cleaners by one of India’s finest finishers.
It was an innings of great maturity. First, he consolidated with Gambhir bailing India out of a peculiar position. Then, in tandem with Raina, he ripped apart the Aussie bowling attack, bludgeoning them to all parts of the ground.
It was not a one-man show as he found able support, first in Gambhir (76) and then in Raina (62) as they formed vital partnerships, 119 and 136 respectively to propel India to a huge score of 354, which proved too much for Australia as they fell short by 99 runs. MS was rightfully awarded the player of the match for his game-changing 124.