Young Dhoni India’s unlikely hero: Hosts take 2-0 lead
By Osman Samiuddin
VISAKHAPATNAM, April 5: A maiden century of sheer brutality by wicket-keeper Mahendra Dhoni guided India to a comfortable victory by 59 runs in the second ODI on Tuesday, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead in the six-match series.
Dhoni unleashed a bewildering array of orthodox and impudent strokes in his 123-ball 148 helping India to a colossal 356 for nine wickets. Pakistan chasing the almost impossible target were bowled out for 298 in 44.1 overs.
Sent is as a pinch-hitter after Sachin Tendulkar was run-out in the fourth over, he belted the first ball he received from Mohammad Sami past mid-off for four.
When Shahid Afridi came on in the ninth over, he greeted the leg spinner by driving him, inside-out, over covers for four. Next ball, similar in length, was dispatched for an incredible six over cover.
But thereafter his impromptu improvisation took over. Soon after he brought up his fifty - off 49 balls - he meted similar treatment to Arshad Khan.
A cover drive for four was followed swiftly by a little dance down the pitch and another six, over cover again.
Two overs later, he paddled Mohammad Hafeez over his head to the fine leg boundary, and a single to mid-on in the 32nd over, brought up his 100 off only 88 balls.
When Dhoni finally got out, to a slog off Hafeez to mid-wicket in the 42nd over, he had struck 16 fours and four sixes.
Dhoni had help from Virender Sehwag and later from Rahul Dravid.
Sehwag’s sheer raucousness blew away Pakistan initially, dismissively pulling Rana Naveedul Hasan for six in the fourth over before feasting on Shahid Afridi in the 11th over, cutting, sweeping and scything four consecutive fours.
Those were part of 12 fours and two sixes in his 74, off 40 balls. The pair had put on 96 runs in 64 balls when Sehwag departed caught at midwicket off Rana, one of his three victims in another willing and intelligent display with the ball.
Dravid arrived and quietly accumulated yet another fifty, helping Dhoni along to his century in a match-shaping partnership of 149. As at Cochin, his hand went almost unnoticed, eclipsed this time by a pinch-hitting wicketkeeper.
Improbable as the target was, Pakistan fought gamely and until Abdul Razzaq was at the crease and later Yousuf Youhana, hope remained. Having been sent one-down, hoping to emulate Dhoni, Razzaq’s was a spirited hand.
Taking advantage of the field restrictions, Razzaq repeatedly pierced the inner circle with cuts and drives, blazing his way to 50 off 45 balls, with 11 fours.
With Salman Butt in tow, he overcame the early loss of Shahid Afridi, putting on 85 runs, but importantly, keeping the run-rate high as well.
But as in Cochin, Pakistan failed to string together partnerships of substance. Inzamamul Haq’s run-out in the 20th over, following a mix-up with Razzaq, was pivotal.
Eight over later, Razzaq, fighting cramps, was caught down the leg-side by Dhoni off Yuvraj Singh for a fighting 88.
Youhana defied the inevitable in his 56-ball 71 with four majestic sixes, including an effortless one off Harbhajan Singh over long-off which landed almost on top of one of the stands.
But he ran out of partners as Shoaib Malik and Hafeez threw their wickets away and eventually, as cramps set in, he top-edged a tired lofted stroke to Mohammad Kaif at cover giving Ashish Nehra one of his four wickets. At that point, barring brief resistance from Kamran Akmal, the game was truly up.
Scoreboard
INDIA:
V. Sehwag c Salman b Naved 74
S.R. Tendulkar run out 2
M.S. Dhoni c Shoaib b Hafeez 148
S.C. Ganguly b Sami 9
R. Dravid c Afridi b Naved 52
Yuvraj Singh lbw b Arshad 15
Mohammad Kaif lbw b Naved 0
Harbhajan Singh b Arshad 11
L. Balaji not out 17
Zaheer Khan c Razzaq b Hafeez 17
EXTRAS (LB-2, W-8, NB-1) 11 TOTAL (for nine wkts, 50 overs) 356
FALL OF WKTS: 1-26, 2-122, 3-140, 4-289, 5-300, 6-301, 7-318, 8-325, 9-356. DID NOT BAT: A. Nehra.
BOWLING: Mohammad Sami 9-0-65-1 (3w); Rana Navedul Hasan 10-0-54-3 (1nb, 1w);
Abdul Razzaq 10-0-55-0; Shahid Afridi 9-0-82-0 (2w); Arshad Khan 5-0-43-2 (1w);
Mohammad Hafeez 7-0-55-2.
PAKISTAN:
Salman Butt c Sehwag b Nehra 36
Shahid Afridi b Nehra 0
Abdul Razzaq c Dhoni b Yuvraj 88
Inzamamul Haq run out 16
Yousuf Youhana c Kaif b Nehra 71
Shoaib Malik c Sehwag b Yuvraj 12
Mohammad Hafeez c Balaji b Yuvraj 7
Kamran Akmal lbw b Zaheer 41
Rana Navedul Hasan c Dhoni b Nehra 2
Mohammad Sami c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 2
Arshad Khan not out 2 EXTRAS (LB-6, W-15) 21 TOTAL (all out, 44.1 overs) 298 FALL OF WKTS: 1-5, 2-89, 3-129, 4-176, 5-204, 6-222, 7-263, 8-268, 9-296.
