Published 16:47 IST, January 20th 2020
Sanjay Manjrekar asked whether MS Dhoni will play in T20 World Cup; Here's his answer
Sanjay Manjrekar came forward and commented about MS Dhoni's chances for the T20 World Cup later this year during a Question & Answer session on social media
Sanjay Manjrekar came forward and commented about Mahendra Singh Dhoni's chances for the World T20 which is scheduled to be held in Australia later this year during his recent Question & Answer session with fans on social media
Manjrekar on MS Dhoni's chances in World T20
A cricket fan had asked Manjrekar whether he reckons that there are any chances of the 2011 World Cup-winning skipper playing the T20 World Cup to which the cricketer-turned-commentator replied that it will be one of the major attractions of the IPL with regards to Dhoni and his form. The veteran commentator also added that he is a huge fan of Dhoni and has always been.
MS Dhoni had led India to their first and only T20 World Cup triumph in the inaugural edition of the tournament back in 2007. That was Dhoni's first stint as a captain.
MS Dhoni's masterstroke in the WT20 final
Team India led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni comprised of a young unit after senior players Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid had refused to play the shortest format. The Men In Blue had defied all the odds and made it to the finals by beating strong teams like England, the hosts South Africa and Ricky Ponting's mighty Australia and thereby setting up a dream finale against arch-rivals Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.
India had earlier got the better of Pakistan in the group stages with a win in the bowl-outs after a nerve-wracking tie. In the summit clash, the Men In Blue had posted 157/5 in their 20 overs and had reduced their arch-rivals to 77/6. However, Misbah-ul Haq once again came to the rescue just like he had during the league match and took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners and the match went right down to the wire.
With 13 needed off the final over, MS Dhoni took a big risk of giving the ball to an inexperienced Joginder Sharma over Harbhajan Singh. On the very first delivery, Sharma had bowled a wide ball under pressure and not only did he have to bowl it once again but it had also reduced the Men In Green's deficit. He managed a dot ball in the following delivery.
On the next delivery, he was dispatched into the stands by Misbah after having bowled a full toss outside off stump. India were snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as 6 runs were needed from 4 balls. Then came the moment which would go on to become immortal. The medium-pacer then bowled a full-length delivery and Misbah could have once again taken him to the cleaners but surprisingly, he played that infamous scoop-shot and the ball went straight into the hands of S Sreesanth as the Indian players and the crowd erupted in joy. India went on to win the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 by five runs.
Updated 16:47 IST, January 20th 2020