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Mahendra 'the finisher' Dhoni hits purple patch before knockouts

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
Mar 15, 2015 09:46 AM IST

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Nobody amplifies this quote better than Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Nobody amplifies this quote better than Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Time and time again he's saved India the blushes. And his average of 105+ in successful chases shows how good he is in pressure situations. Though he hasn't been in the best of forms in the last couple of months, but world cricket's Captain Cool stepped in once again on Friday against Zimbabwe when his team needed him.

As India's batting faltered in the final group encounter at Auckland on Saturday, the team staring down the barrel at 92 for 4, in walked Dhoni. Zimbabwe had set an imposing target of 288 and a lot of work was yet to be done. But Dhoni went about in a clinical manner and joined hands with Suresh Raina to demolish Zimbabwe.

"Even when Virat (Kohli) went in to bat (today), we felt a bit of pressure. Zimbabwe are a good side, but we were expected to win. The wicket was slow and the ball wasn't coming on nicely and we didn't have enough pace to work with," said Dhoni during the post-match press conference.

While the Indian top-order wilted under pressure, Dhoni knew exactly what needed to be done and finished off the match with a trademark six.

Social media went berserk as Raina and Dhoni hammered the Zimbabwean bowlers to all parts of the ground, hitting fours and sixes at will. The pressure was now back on the Zimbabwean fielders who dropped Raina on two occasions.

Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin: One could confuse it for the CSK (Chennai Super Kings) batting lineup. Twitterati responded likewise and made comparisons as to how it was CSK facing Zimbabwe and not Team India.


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ICC Champions Trophy , ICC Champions Trophy Schedule , and Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table – stay ahead with real-time match updates, team standings, and insights. Check live cricket score , player stats, and ICC rankings of top players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli . Get expert analysis, match previews, and in-depth coverage of ICC CT 2025, Pakistan vs New Zealand Live Score and IPL 2025, all on HT Crickit, powered by Hindustan Times – your trusted source for cricket news.
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