There are some videos and stills which stay etched in our memories for time immemorial. The one featuring former India captain MS Dhoni and his unfortunate run-out during the semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is one such for millions of Indian cricket fans, epitomizing the heartbreak which can never be forgotten.
Advertisement
A supreme athlete, who, till date, is considered one of the best when it comes to running between the wickets, having him just millimeters short of making ground was not only unbelievable but a rarest of the rare occurrences.
Other than him failing to seal a run-chase, it not only ended India’s World Cup dream but also brought a sad end to a glorious career. However, despite the carefree and calm customer he has always been on the field of play, the fact that he got run-out on his debut and final match for India had got the better of him emotionally.
As it turned out, while he did bid adieu to the international arena with distinction and his head held high, a piece of him was also filled with regret of having not dived to prevent his dismissal that very day.
MS Dhoni Had Regretted Having Not Dived To Prevent Run Out In 2019 World Cup Semi-Final
It was in December 2019, five months after the semi-final, when journalist Boria Majumdar was in conversation with Dhoni in Delhi. Majumdar went on to reveal how Dhoni had expressed before him the raw side of his emotion, and on that particular day, the painful regret in his eyes for not having dived in order to save his wicket.
While recollecting the fact his international career started and finished with a run-out, Dhoni had remarked that he had seen Martin Guptill throw the ball (for a direct-hit) and the thought of going for a dive did strike his mind at the very moment. However, the fact that he had never dived while running between the wickets throughout his career was a reason he had enough faith in his fast legs. That said, in hindsight, an inch of uncovered distance still manages to ache his heart!
As for the match situation, India required another 25 runs off 10 deliveries, after Dhoni had hit a six off the first delivery of the penultimate Lockie Ferguson over. In an attempt to steal an extra run on the third delivery, a Guptill throw from deep square leg region hit the stumps at the striker’s end, thereby affecting a run-out. It was curtains for India post Dhoni’s dismissal, as they eventually lost the match by 18 runs.
MS Dhoni Was Confident Of A Last-Over Chase Against James Neesham
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson had handed Ferguson to bowl the second-last over and go for the kill instead of taking the game till the last over. Having said that, this is not how Dhoni had operated his entire career. Having always believed in taking the match as deep as possible, he was ready to repeat it all over again and had managed to do it successfully to a larger extent alongside all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
As per Majumdar, Dhoni remarked that he was prepared to take on Kiwi all-rounder James Neesham in the final over, even if there were 16-18 runs left to be scored of it. As he has frequently mentioned in the past as well, the pressure would have been on the bowler, and more so considering that one of the best finishers of the game would have been farming the strike.
Just for context, Dhoni had batted a total of 11 times during the 50th over of an ODI run-chase. Collectively across these innings, he had faced 32 deliveries and scored 78 runs at a strike rate of 243.75 including five fours and six sixes.
During the above referred interaction, Majumdar had also mentioned how Dhoni was going through the pictures of himself in his territorial army camp, before narrating the entire aforementioned incident. Maybe he must have been desirous of living the life of an ordinary man (akin in the army camp) post India’s World Cup exit, and then perhaps the regret of not being able to finish the task being watched by billions in anticipation, would have been mitigated.
