When MS Dhoni was asked by Brian Lara to walk off

You may have heard about stories in sports that are among the most bizarre tales ever told. The one this piece talks about is one of them. India’s first Test against West Indies in June 2006 at St John’s in Antigua had, apart from a dramatic draw on offer, an incident that not many remember. It did not create many ripples across the media and the cricketing fraternity, but did involve some of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Then a hard-hitter newcomer and a retired Test captain now, MS Dhoni was one of the key protagonists in the story.

Of course, Dhoni was not the sole protagonist of the tale: there was another name, probably the biggest name to have graced West Indies cricket in the 21st century — that of Brian Lara. He had stunned and mesmerised. Unfortunately, his role in the incident in question would not have impressed even the biggest fans.

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Nonetheless, whatever happened had scepticism written all over it and deserves a narration.

India had been beaten 4-1 by Lara’s men in the ODI series. The four-match Test series was a chance for India to prove a point, an opportunity to let memories of the poor result in the 50-overs format wither away.

Rahul Dravid decided to bat first in the first Test. After a fantastic bowling effort from the West Indies bowlers, most notably a young Dwayne Bravo who picked 4 for 40, India were getting ready to bowl to the hosts with a score of just 241. None of the batsman had even reached fifty.

West Indies applied themselves better than the Indians. Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Bravo converted their starts into fifties and West Indies managed to get a 130-run lead after being all out for 371 in the first session of play on Day 3.

India had a task on their hands. They needed someone to wipe off the deficit. Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer got India off to a good start before Sehwag edged Corey Collymore to Gayle at first slip. The score read 72. VVS Laxman was next in.

As Jaffer moved on after his fifty, Laxman threw away a good start, falling for 31. Jaffer continued, this time with Dravid. With Fidel Edwards having to leave the field in the 2nd session of Day 4, due to a hamstring pull, Lara and the West Indies had suffered a blow.

Dravid and Jaffer added 203 runs for the 3rd wicket, Jaffer reaching his 2nd Test century. He was not to be stopped, and the West Indies bowlers posed absolutely no threat to a well settled pair. Jaffer reached 150 and Dravid, 50. At Lunch on Day 4, India had a 178-run lead in their bank.

There was still work to be done. Dravid fell, sweeping Dave Mohammed to long-leg. Jaffer was joined by Yuvraj Singh. The very next ball after Dravid’s dismissal Jaffer reached the 200-run milestone.

Jaffer eventually fell for a 399-ball 212, a patient, well-stitched effort. It was up to Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj to not only score at a brisk rate, but to take the attack to the West Indies and not lose wickets as the game headed into the final session of Day 4.

But the runs did not come. When Yuvraj fell, it was perhaps a blessing in disguise. Young Dhoni entered.

In what followed, the wicketkeeper batsman from Ranchi, still trying to make a name for himself and become a regular in the Test side, not only clobbered the West Indies bowling attack, he proved to be the game-changer.

Seldom has a cricket ball been hit the way Dhoni did that day. Lara, who had given Ian Bradshaw almost 25 overs on the trot, was hoping for a wicket from his spin weapons, Mohammed and Gayle. Unfortunately, Dhoni was not to be stopped by any force. READ: When Virender Sehwag came as a runner for MS Dhoni

After hitting two consecutive sixes off Dave Mohammed and hitting him for another in the next over he bowled, Dhoni rushed to fifty off 47 balls.

Mohammed continued into the 151st over of India’s 2nd innings. Kaif took a single off the first ball to bring Dhoni on strike. Dhoni then unleashed his bottom-hand to its best of use. He hit the first six off the over while staying at his crease and sending it over long-on. He smiled as he had a chat with Kaif at the other end and then got back to face the third ball of the over.

He came down the wicket on the third ball and swung the bat to send the ball sailing out of the stadium. Even the cameraman lost track of the ball. The very next ball, a quicker one on the legs by Mohammed met with perhaps brutality at its savage best. It made a cracking sound as it left Dhoni’s bat.

And then came the moment that left the spectators, players and the umpires drowned in chaos. Almost perplexed. As Dhoni tried clearing deep mid-wicket off Mohammed’s 5th delivery, Daren Ganga took the catch, on the boundary line. Dhoni started walking as the West Indies players began celebrating.

However, Asad Rauf was not sure. He stopped Dhoni till the doubts were cleared. The question was — did Ganga’s foot touch the ropes?

Rauf consulted leg-umpire Simon Taufel and then took out his walkie-talkie to ask third umpire Billy Doctrove. The replays proved inconclusive. Technology was at the root of it all.

Unfortunately, that turned out to be the breaking point for Lara. West Indies’ advantage after the 130-run lead was nullified; his strike bowler was injured; Jaffer kept them at bay; and then Dhoni took them to the cleaners. He could not have been happy, which was evident in the way he went about his business during this chaotic moment, when no one knew what was happening.

Lara approached Rauf, asking him to take his fielder’s call, for the decision was now to be taken by on-field umpires. He then went straight to Dhoni, who later described it to ESPNCricinfo: “Brian came up to me and said, ‘I’m taking the charge of my players’, as in taking the responsibility of his players, and ‘I think you should walk off. What they say is going to be the truth’. Then we decided that I should walk off. He came late to me. Daren came first and it was tough for him because it [the boundary rope] was on his back side. And it’s hard to feel a piece of paper when it’s behind you. So he was not entirely sure about it.”

Why Doctrove did not take the final call that should ideally have gone in favour of the batsman (the replays were not decisive enough) is quite puzzling.

Amongst all the drama that was happening at St John’s, what was also evident was that Dravid was not enjoying whatever was happening. Almost immediately he called his men back, declaring on 521 for 6 on Day 4.

West Indies came out to bat soon after that. They faced 5 overs but did not lose an wicket.

On the final day, India went hard at the West Indies batsmen. Anil Kumble took 4 wickets and Sehwag 2, and brought back life into the game as the home side was battling for a draw. With 19 balls left for the 5th Day’s play to end and just 1 wicket in hand, Collymore and Edwards somehow survived. Edwards had come out with a runner. Interestingly, it was Ganga.

The match ended in a draw. Anyway, by the time it finished, it had seen everything.

On the controversy, an ICC official later –commented: “Cricket is an emotional, passionate game but, at the same time, there is a thin line between an expression of frustration or disappointment and something more serious, and Lara came close to crossing that line during the course of the delay.”

However, on that day, in their own ways, Dhoni and Dravid won a lot of hearts.

(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)