Former Indian captain MS Dhoni got on the nerves of the Australian team back in 2008 when he beat them at their own game.
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It was 2008 and India was part of the Commonwealth Bank series. India were not in good form and had lost a couple of matches. However, in one game with the efforts of seamers Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth and Irfan Pathan, India got Australia all out for 159.
The Indian chase went smoothly and captain MS Dhoni along with Rohit Sharma was on his way to chase the total down. At that very moment, Dhoni called for the gloves. He gave clear instructions, ‘Nobody will celebrate on the balcony once we win this match.’
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Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma who was batting along with him was also told, ‘When they give their hand, just firmly hold yours out without folding it like an obligation, but don’t overdo it. And just stare blankly at them without any hint of excitement.’
This was Dhoni’s unique style, his own brand of aggression. Mental disintegration has been something which has been very much talked about. This was Dhoni’s style of taking that to the opposition and beating the Aussies at their own game.
‘This was Mahi’s way of saying it’s no big deal. My bowlers got them all out for 160 and we are chasing it down, usme kaunse badi baat hai (there’s no big deal in it). If we celebrate wildly, the Aussies will be vindicated in their belief that this was an upset.
‘We wanted to tell them that this is not a fluke. This is going to happen over and over again. The Aussies simply couldn’t handle it. They were shaken,’ a player who was part of the Indian team said.
