Watch: MS Dhoni and Kuldeep Yadav plot Trent Boult's wicket
What's the story?
MS Dhoni and Kuldeep Yadav masterfully engineered the wicket of Trent Boult in the ongoing ODI match against New Zealand. The veteran glove man passed on a couple of instructions to the chinaman, asking him to come around the wicket and bowl the googly.
Kuldeep followed the same and outfoxed Boult, as the fast bowler edged the delivery straight to Rohit Sharma, who was stationed at first slip.
In case you didn't know...
New Zealand play hosts to the men in blue for a total of five ODIs and three T20Is. The first ODI commenced at Napier.
MS Dhoni, meanwhile, is a man of mathematical and technical brilliance. Regardless of recent criticism over his strike rate, the former Indian skipper is astute with his gestures and instructions behind the stumps.
The heart of the matter
Once again, he read the situation and applied his experience by helping the young leggie. And as it happens most of the times, Dhoni won the battle of minds.
Judging the way Boult was rooted to the crease with the hope of blocking deliveries, Dhoni asked Kuldeep to set up a trap and bring the ball into the batsman.
He asserted:
"Ye aankh band kar ke rokega. Udhar se daal sakta hai. Idhar se andar nahi aayega. Tere upar hai (He will block the ball blindly, you should bowl round the wicket near the stumps, but it's up to you)."
As aforementioned, Boult's defense failed to pay dividends and he too, bit the dust. Yadav picked up the prized wicket of Kane Williamson along with the tail-enders Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult. He finished with figures of 4-39.
Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kedar Jadhav were the other among the wicket-takers.
Watch:
What's next?
After having bowled the Kiwis out for a paltry 157, India went into the break as favorites to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. In 17 overs, they mustered 91 for the loss of just Rohit Sharma.
Both sides will face-off again on 26 January in the 2nd ODI at Mount Maunganui.