India vs England: Dhoni goes retro

Skippers counterattacking knock guides India to 224; England off to commanding start.

There are days when one cannot help referring to Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni as just Mahi the boy from Ranchi who didn8217;t hone his cricketing skills at some reputed cricket academy but till late in life was a football goalkeeper. When Dhoni broke into India8217;s celebrated batting line-up one that had men with perfect high left elbows,men who seamlessly transferred their weight into silken touch he stuck out with his less-refined brand of batting. Dhoni always had the requisite 8216;skills8217;,but as time wore on in the Indian colours,he gradually tried turning correct,like his counterparts.

But like in the past while dealing with a run slump,Dhoni turned into Mahi as he faced possibly the biggest test of his captaincy career. Moreover,since a top-order collapse has resulted in the score reading 92/5 when the skipper walked in,it surely wasn8217;t the day for perfect high left elbow,seamless transfer of weight or the silken touch. Virender Sehwag was out to the first ball he faced. Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar were circumspect on the front foot. VVS Laxman played a needless pull shot. Suresh Raina thought way too much while dealing with a straight ball. Like so often in the series,the Indian batting flickered temporarily,before the English breeze blew it out of its misery.

With survival on his mind,Dhoni banked on his basic instincts. And soon,he went agricultural.

A hoick to cows corner,a sledgehammer pull,a chopping cover drive that is more like a table tennis top-spin forehand and a front-foot six against a 140-plus pacer,the entire array of Dhoni8217;s strokes brought back memories of the long-haired boy who had swaggered onto the international stage nearly seven years ago. Dhoni8217;s 77 96 balls,10215;4,3215;6 helped India post a total of 224. In reply,England were 84/0.

The home team had once again dominated the show and had it not been for Dhoni8217;s knock,England would have taken giant strides towards winning the Test,the series and would have been well on their way to the game8217;s pedestal the World No.1 Test spot. The Indian pacers failed to repeat the act of their English counterparts.

Disturbing facts

The Edgbaston Test had started with fears that the unrest in the city might affect the attendance on the ground. And when a plume of smoke emerged in the horizon,there were a few worried faces around. But as the smoke gradually cleared,the on-field events became far too engrossing,drowning the off-field rumours and the several disturbing facts on the radio. While the standard of cricket was tremendous,the magical Tim Bresnan ball virtually a leg-spinner at high speed that disturbed Rahul Dravid8217;s off-stump was the high point of the morning,and in all probability the turning point of the game.

By afternoon,Dhoni was busy rescuing his side in the company of tailenders. Thanks to Dhoni8217;s no-holds-barred style,England skipper Andrew Strauss made a dramatic change to the field. At this point,some of the slip fielders were guarding the boundary ropes rather than crouching in the in-field. Strauss eventually won the battle,as Dhoni,going for a slog,edged one to him in the cordon.

Story continues below this ad

Ten wickets by the home bowlers and a highly entertaining knock by Dhoni helped the crowd get its money8217;s worth. By evening,the fans indulged in the construction of massive beer-snakes a highly amusing way of chaining together empty plastic mugs that have been consumed all day. At least for those inside the stadium,the riot-triggered fears and the anxiety of the past few days was forgotten for a while.

If this Test is to last the distance for the Birmingham locals and retain its competitiveness,Dhoni the captain,like the batsman,will also have start thinking out of the box.