MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the most successful captains in the history of Indian cricket. He might have retired from international cricket, but his popularity has not gone down by an inch. He still remains the most loved and talked-about cricketer. It will be correct to say that MS Dhoni has left a rich legacy that continues to live on through his records. And the records of players who made their maiden debut for the country under his captaincy also vouch for his experience.
MS Dhoni continues to lead Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. After the 14th season of the cash-rich league was temporarily suspended, he decided to spend quality time with his family. After the Himachal Pradesh government gave some ease on COVID-19 restrictions, he went on a family vacation along with some of his friends to Shimla.
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Mahi’s visit to Shimla turned out to be a golden opportunity for one of his fans who was keen on getting his autograph.Dev was so excited to meet the former Indian captain, he requested the administration and got his transfer from MeenaBagh Shimla to MeenaBagh Ratnari.
‘That same 90 helped Ms Dhoni win World Cup’: India legend defends Pant’s dismissal on 96, hails knock as ‘smart cricket’
Pant laced 4 sixes and 9 boundaries in his 97-ball knock all of which were hit before the introduction of the second new ball.
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Friday defended young India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for his dismissal on 96 on the first evening of the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali, calling his 97-ball knock as “smart cricket”. He in fact compared it with MS Dhoni’s 2011 ODI World Cup-winning 90 while recalling his knocks against Australia in 2020/21 tour.
Following the dismissal of Shreyas Iyer after Tea, Pant changed gears, switching on T20 mode as he hit a flurry of sixes and boundaries to stand on the verge of hitting his fifth Test century. Pant laced 4 sixes and 9 boundaries in his 97-ball knock all of which were hit before the introduction of the second new ball.
Speaking to Star Sports at the end of Day 1, Gambhir praised Pant’s second phase of his knock and the manner in which he handled the Sri Lankan bowling attack to carry India to a dominant position before the second new ball was taken.
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“What mattered to me was the manner in which he played the second phase of his knock. That is what you call smart cricket. He knew that there weren’t many overs left for the new ball to be introduced. And their premier fast bowler was injured then. That is why he chose to attack the left-arm spinner and the off spinner because Karunaratne wouldn’t have brought his fast bowlers then. So that was smart cricket for me because he assessed the conditions and made most of the opportunity to put India in dominant position. So those second half of his knock was very important to me,” he said.
Gambhir, on looking at Pant’s five scores of 90s in his Test career, opined that such scores has benefitted India more than centuries, recalling his Sydney and Brisbane knock against Australia in 2020/21 tour. He also compared it with Ms Dhoni’s unbeaten 91 against Sri Lanka in 2011 World Cup.
“The stats that you showed right now, it shows that centuries give you headlines, 90s give you tournament or series win. Because those 90s helped you in Sydney and Brisbane and helped you in winning the series. And this same 90 that helped MS Dhoni win the World Cup,” he said.
India finished Day 1 on 357/6.