New Delhi: There are born leaders, some are groomed to lead and then there is MS Dhoni; who belongs to a level and class of his own. How else can you explain Dhoni’s decision to signal for DRS (The Decison Review System) not once but twice in successive ODIs without consulting the captain or the batsman?
Yes, Dhoni did it again and amazingly, just like his helicopter shots or the blind flick towards the stumps, was spot on for the second time in a row. After signaling for a successful review even before asking Kohli in the first ODI, Dhoni did the same for Yuvraj Singh during the second ODI at Cuttack.
Yuvraj was batting at his sublime best and England bowlers were clueless, just then Chris Woakes brought joy to the English camp in the 41st over of the Indian innings when the umpire put his finger up to signal the end of Yuvraj Singh at 146. But Dhoni, standing at the non-striker’s end had other ideas. He did not wait for Yuvraj’s assertion and immediately signaled for the review. Yuvraj soon, followed Dhoni’s instruction and opted for the review.
The replays made it clear that the ball had bounced before carrying to England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler. The decision was overturned and Yuvraj survived. He was eventually out for a career best 150 and Dhoni went to score 134 as India posted 381/6, their highest ever ODI total against England. The duo turned the clock backwards to showcase some of the most astonishing strokeplay that one can ever imagine. But apart from all the fireworks coming from the Dhoni-Yuvraj combination it was this decision from Dhoni that was one of the highlights of the Indian innings. It bore testimony to the fact that Dhoni may have left captaincy but captaincy is very far from leaving Dhoni.