Leader leads by example..
Things were going in the usual way till Dhoni and his boys took the match to the last over. Before that, Jasprit Bumrah, the most trusted bowler of the last few matches, had turned the villain for dropping Tamim Iqbal and leaking easy runs. The point that he made a brilliant comeback with the ball in the death overs, when the team needed him the most, went unnoticed.
Dhoni takes risks, as he loves being in that situation for some reason. May be, that is what made him what he is today. He has always taken up the ways someone would least think of. That’s where his fate swings: the decision decides if he will become the hero or villain the next day. When Pandya’s next two deliveries went for consecutive boundaries, the entire world turned cricket experts. “Hardik Pandya? Seriously, Dhoni?” “Everyone knows how he tends to leak runs”, “over-enthusiastic fellow, too fresh to put such responsibilities on his shoulders” and more.
Pandya took a wicket off the next ball, and another off the next and I used to think a protractor measures 180 degree angle better. “Pandya, you beauty!” “See, this is MS Dhoni. He is such an intelligent skipper!”
Bangladesh needed 2 runs off the last delivery. Super over? Bangladesh? India? Speculations were on along with jinxing, cross-jinxing, prayers and what not! Pandya came in with an off-cutter; it raced passed to land in Dhoni’s safe gloves Dhoni ran towards the stumps way before Mustafizur Rahman reached the striker’s end and hit the stumps. Third umpire declared it to be a run-out. India won, crowd rejoiced, ‘Holi’ turned ‘Diwali’..
Dhoni's distance from the stumps for the last ball : 13 meters from the stumps
Mustafizur Rahman was standing at the non striker end when the ball was delivered: 19 meters from the stumps, with the bat and hand extension giving him a 1.5 meter advantage: 17.5 meters from the stumps
When Pandya bowled the last ball, Mustafir had already left the crease and when the ball reached Dhoni's hands, he was already half way down the pitch: 10 metres
Now it was a battle between Dhoni at 13 meters from the stumps (who had to start running) and Mustafir who was 10 meters away from the stumps with the added advantage of 2 meters (extended bat): 8 meters ( who had already running in full throttle). Mustafir had a 5 meter advantage
No other wicket keeper in the world would have tried to run all the way to the stumps considering the fresh fast legs of Mustafir. Some might have thrown the ball at the stumps. If Johnty Rhodes was behind the wicket, he would have attempted to fly down and knock the stumps. But Dhoni tried to do the unthinkable. He tried to do the impossible. He took on Mustafizur.
Dhoni covered the 13 meter distance in 2 seconds (A start that Ussain Bolt would be proud of) and also defeated Mustafir's extended bat.
Everyone talks about the presence of mind that Dhoni has and the manner in which he removed the gloves for the last ball; yet if we analyse the last ball minutely, we will realize the roaring lion that resides inside the captain cool Dhoni that made him run like a mad man.
That is the confidence that moves the entire team.
Leader leads by example..
#T20WorldCup2016#IndiaVsBangladesh#ICCWorldT20-2016
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