There has been a sense of celebration in Ranchi over the past few days with the third One-Day International between India and Australia seen as some sort of a farewell to the man who put the city on the nation’s cricketing map.
And on Friday, Mahendra Singh Dhoni provided the fans a moment to remember and cherish for a long time, with a trademark, magical piece of glove-work.
The former India captain pulled off another special effort to further his legend as one of the greatest wicket-keepers of all time when he combined with Ravindra Jadeja to send Glenn Maxwell back to the pavilion.
The wicket came at a time when Maxwell was looking in stunning touch, adding to the brilliance of the moment.
In the 42nd over, Kuldeep Yadav bowled a short ball to Shaun Marsh. The left-handed batsman cut the ball to Jadeja at short cover and set off on a single. Jadeja first made a dive to his right and stopped the ball, then moved quickly to pick it up, took a second to gauge which end he needs to throw and decided to go at Maxwell’s end where he had Dhoni waiting.
Jadeja’s throw, fast as it was, was not quite on target but that is when Dhoni put an arm out and deflected the ball on to the stumps. The Ranchi crowd was treated to a moment of genius by their favourite cricketing hero.
Here’s how social media reacted to that moment of brilliance:
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!