New Delhi: The Indian side may have struggled to reach 120 against Australia, but MS Dhoni is in an entirely different world of his own – a world where hitting sixes is matter of a joke, a world where you one can single-handedly take your side from 57 for 6 to 243 for 9 at the end of 50 overs.
6 sixes, 10 fours, 129 runs at a strike rate off 120.66 – MS Dhoni was at his brutal best against Chattisgarh in a Group D match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at the Eden Gardens.
Just a day before, Dhoni had scored 43 against Karnataka in a losing cause. Little did the inexperienced Chattisgarh side know that the former India skipper was only warming-up.
Jharkahand were tottering at 43 for 4 when captain Dhoni walked into the middle at No. 6 – a position he has made his own for about a decade. Before he had his eye-in, two more Jharkhand batsman took the long walk back to the dressing room. The scoreboard read 57 for 6. Dhoni now had the tail to bat with. Like many uncountable occasions, Dhoni went about his business with Shahbaz Nadeem by his side, matching aggression with caution.
The duo stitched together a crucial 151 run partnership before Nadeem fell for a well made 53. There was only 16 balls left and the stage was set for Dhoni. He didn’t disappoint. Dhoni used his long handle to take 35 runs of the remaining deliveries to take Jharkhand to a respectable 243. He was out off the final ball of the innings.