MS Dhoni angry at Shoaib Akhtar for deliberate beamer bowled at him; watch video

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni made a name for himself after smashing 148 against Pakistan in just his fifth ODI and followed it up with a mammoth 183* vs Sri Lanka to etch his name in the record books. The continued struggles of Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel in Test cricket meant that Dhoni made his way into the Test team as well and it was Pakistan that again bore the brunt of his strokes. Known for his calm demeanour otherwise, the wicketkeeper-batsman lost his cool during the second test vs Pakistan, due to Shoaib Akhtar's antics. 

MS Dhoni stats: Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar's deliberate beamer in 2006 upset Dhoni

After a steady start to his Test career, MS Dhoni announced himself with a scintillating century against Pakistan in the second Test at Faisalabad. The Indian wicket-keeper along with Irfan Pathan steadied the innings helping India avoid follow on. MS took a particular liking to fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, frequently punishing him with an array of shots. Dhoni reached his half-century in just 34 delivers and completed his century in just 93 deliveries.

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The wicketkeeper-batsman was not done yet and despite the continued sledging and bouncers bowled by Shoaib Akhtar, he took the Rawalpindi Express on. MS Dhoni smashed three boundaries in an over much to the frustration of Shoaib Akhtar, who vented his anger out by bowling a speedy beamer at him. Dhoni was visibly upset by Shoaib Akhtar's antics and the umpires also cautioned the Pakistani speedster.

Pakistan great Waqar Younis, who was on commentary duty, slammed Akhtar's antics and claimed that behaviour like his had no place in cricket.  Dhoni was eventually dismissed for an impressive knock of 148, which included 19 boundaries and four sixes.

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Shoaib Akhtar earlier this year had admitted that he had bowled the beamer deliberately and apologised to Dhoni right away during the match. Akhtar, while speaking to Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel, said that he regretted bowling that beamer and was frustrated after he had bowled an 8-9 over spell where Dhoni scored his hundred. Co-incidentally, Dhoni scored his maiden ODI and Test tons in his fifth match of each format. Both centuries produced scores of 148 and happened to be against Pakistan.

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MS Dhoni stats: Former Indian captain to return for IPL 2020

MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, August 15 drawing curtains on an illustrious career. However, despite his retirement, the former Indian captain will return to his Chennai Super Kings duty and will captain them in the IPL 2020 slated to begin on September 19. Initially scheduled to begin in March, the tournament will be played in the UAE this year behind closed doors amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. CSK have reached the final in both seasons since they returned from suspension and will look to add another title to their cabinet. 

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(Image Courtesy: Mainak Sinha Twitter)