Dhonis Houdini,Game Tied

Its anybodys guess what was spoken out in the middle,but after the left-hander was sacrificed by a backing-up Dhoni next ball,it was clear that he was looking to get back on strike to face what was left of Mathews over.

The move was an evil of the necessary variety. For Dhoni had to give himself – and the Indian team – the best possible chance to bucket as many runs off the last two balls not bowled by Malinga. With one eye on the scoreboard,Dhoni used his molten wrists to muscle Mathews penultimate delivery into the midwicket fence on one bounce. It brought up a fifty that he didnt notice. For only a single to face Malinga next over was on his ever-alert mind.

So as Dhoni and No.10 Vinay Kumar leoparded across to make it nine runs from the last six balls,it had come down to the most interesting of personal battles between the best 50th over bowler versus the leading finisher in the cricketing world with the bat. And Dhoni had done that reputation no harm by smashing the requisite 13 runs required off the last over against the Australians on Sunday with two balls to spare. But Clint McKay doesnt have the aura that Malinga does over his bleached curls. The next six balls were not only going to decide the India-Sri Lanka match,but also the best finishing specialist in the business.

Slinging out an inch perfect yorker,Malinga shaped the ball towards Dhonis toes. But miraculously,Dhoni managed to wedge the ball out to the only fielder in the deep,long-on. Vinay had clearly listened to his captains instructions better than Pathan,as the two belted out the fastest double of the game to make it seven required off the last five. Ball 2,Malinga pulled the trigger to another ball in the blockhole. But this time,Dhoni struggled to get under it and Vinay had the strike.

Even before Vinay got bat on Malingas deceptive slower ball,Dhoni had reached half way to the batting end. With Malinga around,the boundaries were hard to squeeze out and Dhoni knew that singles were better than no runs. So with five to win and three balls to go,Dhonis fearless running would soon give the Sri Lankans three run-out chances over as many balls. But luckily for the Indians,Malinga is a much better bowler than he is with collecting direct throws.

Crucial run out

He fumbled the first when Dhoni pushed the ball to his counterpart Mahela Jayawardene at short midwicket and suicidally took off towards the bowlers end. Jayawardene threw,Malinga missed,Dhoni had scored another run at the cost of his strike. But as Dhoni set off from the umpires end next ball,Vinay finally stopped keeping up with him,and was run-out by a direct-hit from Mathews.

With a boundary required off the last ball,the game was all but put to bed next to Malingas How to bowl yorkers off the last ball bed-time book. But Malinga squirted it a little wider and shorter than he would have liked,an error that Dhoni obliged by shovelling over the extra-cover fielder. Umesh Yadav ran as fast as he bowled,while two fielders in the deep relayed the throw back to Malingas jittery palms. Dhoni had completed the third,and like the over-all contest,the battle between the finishers ended in a tie.

It was a match where the quick feet of the captain helped India secure two points,but at the cost of several misunderstandings in the middle and run-outs to Sri Lankas credit. And the most important one of them was that of Gautam Gambhirs.

Having shut shop in the 90s and resting at the non-strikers end in the 42 nd over of the game,Dhonis call after punching Malinga down the ground came as an alarm. But on sensing danger,Dhoni turned back in time while Gambhir didnt. The direct hit put an end to the openers second successive score of 91. But like the last two occasions when Gambhir missed his century by a whisker and Dhoni hit the last ball of the match,India didnt lose. The victory was denied by a lad who didnt play during that World Cup final Dinesh Chandimal. With six boundaries and a towering six,Chandimal burdened the Lankan innings from the ninth to the 38 th over. He took Lanka to 236,before he was run-out by Dhoni. That line would mirror itself throughout the Indian captains stay in the middle.