SK Flashback: Steve Smith bats India out of the 2015 World Cup

#5 The Dhoni helicopter runs out of fuel

Glenn Maxwell’s direct hit caught MS Dhoni short of the crease.

MS Dhoni has won many matches for India. One of the greatest finishers the game has ever seen, he knows when to bide his time and when to accelerate. His instincts must have told him the team needed a partnership when he joined Ajinkya Rahane at the crease with the team’s score at 108/4 in 24 overs.

The pair knocked the ball around for the next hour building a platform, not caring that the required run rate had crept up to more than ten an over. The batting power play in the 35th over would have been the ideal time to charge as both batsmen were set but Rahane perished and the Indians only managed 26 runs in five overs.

When Dhoni tried to muscle the bowling, he got bottom edges. As he aimed for a heave over long on, he was only able to find a single. He managed two sixes in the 42nd over but it wasn’t enough to relieve the pressure.

The running between the wickets became desperate, trying to find runs where there weren’t any, and in the 44th over, the Indian captain was found short of the crease by a direct hit from Glenn Maxwell. Once their leader departed, the team surrendered meekly and India lost the match by 95 runs.