Matthew Wade recalled MS Dhoni when he tried to stump Shikhar Dhawan. (Fox sports Twitter) MS Dhoni announced his retirement earlier this year but his impact is still felt on the cricket field. This was once again visible on Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground when Australia wicketkeeper and captain Matthew Wade recalled the former India captain’s skills behind the stumps.
The incident occurred when Wade failed to stump India opener Shikhar Dhawan, in the 9th over of India’s chase when Mitchell Swepson was bowling to the southpaw.
Swepson delivered one wide, which was short and outside the off-stump to which Dhawan went for a cut and missed it. Wade, smartly waited for the foot to rise perhaps hoping to dismiss Dhawan like the way MS Dhoni had famously dismissed Bangladesh’s Sabbir Rahman during the 2016 T20 World Cup. But Dhawan was quick to bring down his foot in time.
Wade needed to be quicker there ala Dhoni to catch Dhawan off-guard.
Not Dhoni, not quick enough like Dhoni!” Wade was caught saying on the stump-mic to which Dhawan responded saying, “Yeah”.
When cricketers become legends..
After the stumping act…Wade says
“Not #Dhoni…not quick enough like #Dhoni”— Priyanka Shukla (@PriyankaJShukla) December 6, 2020
Earlier, India clinched the three-match Twenty20 series over Australia with a six-wicket victory at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. Hardik Pandya finished what Shikhar Dhawan had set out to achieve with a scintillating 36-ball 52 in the second and penultimate match.
India at one point needed 72 runs off 36 balls to win before Pandya came to the crease and turned the match around. His 42 runs off 22 balls, including two sixes in the final over, took the visitors to victory with two balls remaining.
India won the first match by 11 runs. The third game is scheduled for Tuesday, also at the SCG.
“He played well at the end. It was an incredible spectacle,” Australia coach Justin Langer said of Pandya. “We know how dangerous he is … it was a great innings. India’s experienced T20 players were too good for us.”
