Team India stumper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who earned a name for himself with his ruthless batting exploits in a local tournament over the last week, finally succumbed to the sweltering heat today - only briefly though.The flamboyant batsman, who scored 85 runs off just 57 balls, was down with dehydration midway during his entertaining knock, but recovered fast to return to the crease and guide Shyambazar Club to the P Sen Trophy title off the last over of the match.Dhoni’s swashbuckling innings, that included 14 boundaries and a massive six, closely follows the glovesman’s thunderous knocks of 207 and 102 in the first two matches in this tournament. There couldn’t have been a more appropriate picture than the star player bringing up the winning runs against Sporting Union with one of his many disdainful cover drives.Chasing a victory target of 264, Dhoni led the charge for Shyambazar in his own characteristic style, unleashing a flurry of strokes square of the wicket. And before the 1,000-odd spectators could comprehend the blitz, Dhoni had reached his 50 off 32 balls. It was then that the hapless Sporting Union bowlers earned some respite from unexpected quarters. If the bowling could make little impact on the flow of runs, the heat and humidity got the better of the Jharkhand youngster, who rushed to the pavilion just after bringing up the half-century with a tired slog, with the team score 76 /0 off nine overs.For nearly two hours, Dhoni, dehydrated and down with fever as well, was inside the dressing room, while the restless crowd awaited news about Indian cricket’s latest sensation. It was only after 40 overs that the he walked to the middle and went about his job without much fuss, clinching the one-wicket win with five balls to spare.While Dhoni left for Ranchi in the evening, it will take the city of Kolkata a long time to forget the explosive batting from the man possessed.
