Cricket is considered to be a religion in India. Cricket is a feeling, it is an emotion which is very dear to everyone in this country. Cricketers are brought up to a pedestal in this country and are loved and worshipped like nowhere else in the world. MS Dhoni is one of the most revered players in the country and he achieved a personal milestone yesterday. In the middle of the match everyone in the ground applauded the great man as Dhoni completes 24000 runs in his illustrious batting career.
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In the ongoing IPL match against RCB yesterday, Dhoni reached 24000 runs across all formats in cricket. Needing 23 runs, Mahi tucked one towards midwicket for a single of left-arm spinner Chahal to reach one more milestone in his glorious career spanning close to 13 years. Dhoni eventually got out for 28 from 25 balls with three fours and one sixe to his credit at a strike rate of 112. So MSD added another feather to his illustrious hat as he surpassed 24000 runs across all formats of cricket.
In his career, Dhoni has so far scored 7038 runs in 131 First-class matches. Moreover, ‘Captain Cool’ has 11855 runs in 359 List A matches and 5112 runs in all type of T20s. Dhoni has scored over 4876 runs in 90 Tests and 9275 runs in 286 ODIs as well as 1209 runs in T20s.
To be honest, this is a bad time for Dhoni, at least in the IPL. He was replaced as the captain of the team by Aussie Steve Smith, then became the topic of an online fiasco involving his fans and owner. In the four matches so far in the IPL he has scored only 61 runs – 12*, 5, 11, 5 and yesterday 28 against RCB in Bangalore.
The 36-year old has been under heavy criticism for not performing as his big name, as people have started demanding more runs from him.
But still, he may not be a technically sound batsman but he has certainly developed his own technique and style of batting which differentiates him from other cricketers which makes him an unconventional genius.
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And Dhoni is still one of the best when it comes to finishing or orchestrating a chase. Those who are calling for his head should not write off this legend too soon.
I personally believe that IPL is a long haul tournament, and Dhoni will sure find his game as it goes on. And it augurs well for Indian cricket. He being there, in the mix, will only benefit Indian team which will defend the Champions Trophy title soon after the IPL.
