Published: May 22, 2016, 01:09 PM (IST)
Edited: May 22, 2016, 01:35 PM (IST)
The tale of MS Dhoni and Rising Pune Supergiants (RPS) has been an interesting one in their first season of the IPL. Even with one of the greatest captains the game has ever seen, RPS struggled throughout the tournament and just could not get out of the hurdles that they faced. It was not that they did not try: they simply could not recover. The weight on the shoulders of the ship’s captain was perhaps too heavy. Injuries bogged them down, and inconsistency and inexperience impeded their objectives and the failure to finish close matches crippled their campaign. Yet, Dhoni and RPS did fight back. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Rising Pune Supergiants vs Kings XI Punjab , 53rd T20 Match, IPL 2016
Midway through the IPL, the RPS team suffered numerous setbacks. Kevin Pietersen was the first to the list. Then Faf Du Plessis injured his finger, followed by Steven Smith being ruled out to due to a wrist injury. And Mitchell Marsh was the last one to go. All these men could have been crucial cogs for RPS, but unfortunately RPS never got them for long. Their bowling was good in patches, but the team lacked a combined effort. The purple outfit struggled at home too. But, they did not want to come last. ALSO READ: RPS vs KXIP, IPL 2016, Highlights
In the 53rd match of the IPL, RPS were up against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) who had a similar story as theirs. Dhoni had yet again left it too late. But as always, he backed himself to finish it as always. With 23 needed off the last over, only a Dhoni-style finish could have won RPS the game. Akshar Patel was given the ball: perhaps Murali Vijay thought that a slow bowler would be more effective, given the slowness of the pitch. Unfortunately, Vijay forgot that Dhoni is an excellent player of slow bowling. What happened next added yet another feather in the ever-so-calm captain’s hat. Dhoni sent a couple out of the park and the match finished with his side winning by 4 wickets. ALSO READ: MS Dhoni not to be blamed for Irfan Pathan’s run-out during KKR vs RPS, IPL 2016 match
That is not what this piece is about. What is worth a narration is the way Dhoni defied all odds again to make it look so easy. He did not run with Ashwin at the other end, because he thought only he could finish the game. In a way things became more difficult for him. Secondly, a cracking shot to deep extra-cover destined to be a four produced no run, as Hashim Amla made an outstanding effort to stop the ball. Dhoni did not run (could they have run two?) but did not put up a display of emotions. Thirdly, another short and wide ball from Akshar hit hard, bounced just before the ropes, which meant RPS needed 12 off 2. A dog interruption and an impossible task in hand did not stop Dhoni from unleashing a ‘helicopter’ to win the match.
It took a long time coming but Dhoni, the finisher did reserve the best for the last. Probably too late for his side, but it looked good when it came. His 64 not out from 32 balls knock rightly earned him Man of the Match and an appreciation from the KXIP captain as he hit the last ball. It also reinstated the verity that ‘Dhoni — The Finisher’ is still around. He might have been knocked down, but not knocked out. RPS might have been knocked down but not knocked out.
(Karan Dewan, a reporter with CricketCountry, loves following and playing sports. He is a Team India fan and loves winning. Follow him on his twitter handle @karan13dewan.)
