For a moment, the mask slipped. Thank god for the super slow-motion cameras we have nowadays. Morne Morkel, South Africa’s number 11, edged to Suresh Raina at first slip to hand India an unlikely 22-run victory. The full house at the Holkar Stadium in Indore erupted.
As the Indian players converged towards each other in celebration, the super slow-motion cameras caught Mahendra Singh Dhoni, striding towards the wicket, immediately after Raina’s catch. Just for an instant, Dhoni’s trademark impassive, inscrutable demeanour had vanished. Walking slowly towards the wicket, his mouth slightly open in a half-smile and his eyes glazed towards his team, there was something resembling relief. Satisfaction. As captain, Dhoni has presided over more than a hundred victories. But in many ways, this victory will rank among his sweetest.
“Not an easy game played, a lot of people wait with open swords and want you to make mistakes,” joked Dhoni at the post-match presentation ceremony. The “open swords” metaphor was certainly not off the mark. On a hail of criticism, India entered the second ODI against South Africa and proceeded to crash to 124/6 in the 30th over. Some dismissals were just comical, especially Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane’s mix-up where Kohli hared down the pitch despite Rahane not moving an inch at the other end. Rahane, who has been a polarising figure of late, battled hard for a half-century but was bowled around his legs by an Imran Tahir leggie. South Africa’s bowling attack were relentless and India were wobbling.
Magnificent Dhoni
O, Captain, my captain. They wanted a captain’s knock? They got it. Dhoni may have pushed himself up the order to play a more guiding role in building the innings but he was out of luck – India’s other batsmen fell like ninepins around him and Dhoni found himself in a familiar situation - stuck with the tail and India tottering. And the innings he played was, for lack of a better word, utterly magnificent.
There is no better sight in sport than watching a man written off by his his critics, rising like a phoenix. In his beautifully paced, unbeaten 92, Dhoni dug deep into his vast experience and pulled off a special knock. All the usual MSD traits were present – shepherding the tail, keeping the scoreboard ticking and just when the opposition did not expect it, the big shot. From a position of humiliation, India found themselves going back into the dressing room with at least a shot of winning the game.
South Africa stutter
South Africa, by all rights, will be livid with themselves. For all Dhoni’s heroics, 248 was a below-par total. And at 134/2 in just 23 overs, there was no way they should have lost. But this series has seen a peculiar trend of teams throwing games away while cruising and South Africa seemed unwilling to buck that trend – a series of poor shots later, they found themselves five down. The required run rate was quite low, but Dhoni is a master of these situations and with a delirious Indore crowd behind the Indian team, exploited the situation seamlessly. He worked his bowlers expertly, putting the fielders in the right place and gradually tightened the noose around the Proteas. As the wickets kept on falling, South Africa tried hitting out to get closer to the target. The runs did flow, but so did the wickets and in the end, South Africa will be kicking themselves – they were all out for 225, falling short by 22 runs with more than six overs still left in their innings.
“Dhoni is the most unIndian Indian I have seen,” remarked a cricket journalist to me a while back, exasperated after a typically stoic press conference from the Indian captain. But not so today. Wednesday was different. For a briefest and the most fleeting of seconds, Mahendra Singh Dhoni the machine gave way to Mahendra Singh Dhoni the human being.
Second ODI: India (247 for 9 in 50 overs) beat South Africa (225 all out in 43.4 overs) by 22 runs.
As the Indian players converged towards each other in celebration, the super slow-motion cameras caught Mahendra Singh Dhoni, striding towards the wicket, immediately after Raina’s catch. Just for an instant, Dhoni’s trademark impassive, inscrutable demeanour had vanished. Walking slowly towards the wicket, his mouth slightly open in a half-smile and his eyes glazed towards his team, there was something resembling relief. Satisfaction. As captain, Dhoni has presided over more than a hundred victories. But in many ways, this victory will rank among his sweetest.
“Not an easy game played, a lot of people wait with open swords and want you to make mistakes,” joked Dhoni at the post-match presentation ceremony. The “open swords” metaphor was certainly not off the mark. On a hail of criticism, India entered the second ODI against South Africa and proceeded to crash to 124/6 in the 30th over. Some dismissals were just comical, especially Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane’s mix-up where Kohli hared down the pitch despite Rahane not moving an inch at the other end. Rahane, who has been a polarising figure of late, battled hard for a half-century but was bowled around his legs by an Imran Tahir leggie. South Africa’s bowling attack were relentless and India were wobbling.
Magnificent Dhoni
O, Captain, my captain. They wanted a captain’s knock? They got it. Dhoni may have pushed himself up the order to play a more guiding role in building the innings but he was out of luck – India’s other batsmen fell like ninepins around him and Dhoni found himself in a familiar situation - stuck with the tail and India tottering. And the innings he played was, for lack of a better word, utterly magnificent.
There is no better sight in sport than watching a man written off by his his critics, rising like a phoenix. In his beautifully paced, unbeaten 92, Dhoni dug deep into his vast experience and pulled off a special knock. All the usual MSD traits were present – shepherding the tail, keeping the scoreboard ticking and just when the opposition did not expect it, the big shot. From a position of humiliation, India found themselves going back into the dressing room with at least a shot of winning the game.
South Africa stutter
South Africa, by all rights, will be livid with themselves. For all Dhoni’s heroics, 248 was a below-par total. And at 134/2 in just 23 overs, there was no way they should have lost. But this series has seen a peculiar trend of teams throwing games away while cruising and South Africa seemed unwilling to buck that trend – a series of poor shots later, they found themselves five down. The required run rate was quite low, but Dhoni is a master of these situations and with a delirious Indore crowd behind the Indian team, exploited the situation seamlessly. He worked his bowlers expertly, putting the fielders in the right place and gradually tightened the noose around the Proteas. As the wickets kept on falling, South Africa tried hitting out to get closer to the target. The runs did flow, but so did the wickets and in the end, South Africa will be kicking themselves – they were all out for 225, falling short by 22 runs with more than six overs still left in their innings.
“Dhoni is the most unIndian Indian I have seen,” remarked a cricket journalist to me a while back, exasperated after a typically stoic press conference from the Indian captain. But not so today. Wednesday was different. For a briefest and the most fleeting of seconds, Mahendra Singh Dhoni the machine gave way to Mahendra Singh Dhoni the human being.
Second ODI: India (247 for 9 in 50 overs) beat South Africa (225 all out in 43.4 overs) by 22 runs.
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