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New Zealand speedster Lockie Ferguson has shared his thoughts on former India captain MS Dhoni knock in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup.
Chasing a challenging target of 240, India were in all sorts of trouble at 71-5 IN Manchester.
Nevertheless, Dhoni steadied the Indian innings in the crucial encounter, bringing the total to 178-6 in 44 overs.
However, the stalwart’s batting in the last phase of the innings came under scrutiny and sparked debate among cricket pundits.
With 52 runs required of 31 balls, Dhoni had scored 10 runs of Ferguson’s over; however, he decided to leave the last ball of the over with the required rate mounting.
During an interview on an Indian sports platform, Lockie Ferguson recalled the moment and expressed at Dhoni’s decision to leave the ball during such a crucial time.
“I can’t remember what they were needing to chase at the time, but I knew they had to score a few runs. The plan was to bowl and see if MS would undercut it, and he left it. So I was surprised because naturally, when you’re bowling, you’re trying to restrict runs, then it’s nice when a batter leaves it,” he said.
“But I think the next over, the first ball, I tried again, and he just got it over the boundary for six. So the plan almost worked the second time as well. But it was nice to get him out that game and, of course, get across the line in the semi-final,” he added.
Eventually, MS Dhoni was run out courtesy of a direct hit from Martin Guptill after scoring 50 off 70 balls, with India requiring 24 runs off nine deliveries.
As a result, the Men in Blue were knocked out of the tournament, falling 18 runs short of the target.
It is worth noting that the semi-final match against New Zealand turned out to be the final game for MS Dhoni in the Indian jersey—the captain who led India to victory in the 2011 World Cup.
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