26 October,2016 07:00 PM IST | | mid-day online correspondent
MS Dhoni was on the losing side on Wednesday night vs the Kiwis in his hometown of Ranchi. But he still proved that he's a one of the best finishers of the game. Puzzled? Read to find out how...
Watch Video: India lost, but MS Dhoni still proved he's 'a great finisher'
MS Dhoni does his magic act during the fourth one-day international cricket match in Ranchi on Wednesday. Pic courtesy Twitter
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is among the best finishers in the one-day international format and he proved it once again on Wednesday night in his hometown of Ranchi. Ready to start hurling abuses or are you going Huh! Let's read on...
The match may have seen Dhoni and Co end up on the losing side while chasing 260, but the Team India skipper in the limited-overs format showed everyone that there are very few in the cricket world who can match up to his skills with the gloves... behind the wickets.
His bat may not have talked much or loudly enough to make the opposition surrender -- he scored 11 from 31 balls, but his glove-work behind the wickets was exemplary.
Getting the drift? Let's continue...
He took the catches to dismiss New Zealand's top scorer of the night -- Martin Guptill, who scored 72 off 84 deliveries with 12 boundaries -- and his Kiwi counterpart, Kane Williamson, who scored an invaluable 41 off 59 balls.
But Dhoni wasn't done for the night. He proved why he's considered "Greased Lightnin' " behind the wickets with some brilliant handiwork.
Black Caps mainstay in the middle-order Ross Taylor was looking set for a big score when he decided to test MSD wicketkeeping skils. The New Zealander could only rue his fate as Dhoni brilliantly ran him out. Mahi's unique style saw Taylor return to the dressing for 33.
It was the 46th over of the New Zealand innings. Pacer Umesh Yadav bowled one on the leg side and Taylor hit it to deep fine leg fence and thought he had enough time for a second run. Dhawal Kulkarni manning the boundary picked up the ball and threw it back to Dhoni. The ball bounced awkwardly and Dhoni could collect it only near his chest height and away from the stumps. Some other wicketkeepers may have run back and tried to dislodge the bails, but then Mahi being Mahi, he almost deflected the ball in one smooth action on to the wicket without even looking at it and cut short the Kiwi's flight.
Well, MSD surely proved that whether with bat or ball, he is still a 'great finisher'... finishing off opposition batsmen with his lightning thinking and brilliant wicketkeeping.
HERE'S THE VIDEO:
Add to that his post-match comments:
Poor shot selection contributed to India losing the fourth ODI against New Zealand on Wednesday, but captain Dhoni sought to downplay it, saying that the youngsters in the team should not be deterred from going for big hits.
Dhoni played the role of the captain and a senior ably, saying that telling the youngsters not to play big shots would lead to their going into a shell and that will not be good for their development.
"The Nos 5 and 6 are quite new, they will learn their own way. Some will play big shots, some will take it deep. Cricket has changed, people like to play big shots," Dhoni said after India lost the fourth ODI by 19 runs as the Kiwis levelled the five-match series 2-2.
"It is important to not tell them to stop playing the shots; you don't want them to go into their shells. They played their shots when the ball was in their area. They will learn after they have played 15-20 games. Once they have played 15-20 games, they will figure out what works for them and they will serve (for the country) for long," he added.
Many other captains would have been only too eager to blame the youngsters, which would just have made the newbies more nervous in the next match. But Dhoni's comforting words should encourage youngsters like Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav and Hardik Pandya to find their feet in international cricket and make India a more confident unit in the future.
That's the way... the Mahi way!
