Turning chaos into order – What he told Bumrah
With 34 runs needed to win off the last 4 overs, Dhoni needed his death overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah to be on the top of his game. The youngster had been dispatched for 19 runs in his first 2 overs and had suffered a horrible day in the field.
As pressure mounted, the unusual sight of team meetings were seen on the field, with increasing frequency. With a World T20 exit looming, all the India players converged around the bowler, each offering his own opinion. Each dot ball was cheered, and every run given away was like the exfoliation of a national dream.
As Ashwin said after the match, “I think this is probably the most we have discussed on a cricket field as a team. We have never really got together and worried so much about a game before.”
Dhoni said after the match how he had had to sort through the chaos of opinions in the middle. He said that he would not reveal how he directed Bumrah, but was confident that whatever he had said had made the difference.
On what he had to do to ensure that the youngster did not get overwhelmed by all the advice, Dhoni said, “What you are trying to do is manage chaos. Everybody will come and each will have his own opinion. Often, a batsmen will differ to the bowler's opinion. But what you have to do is you have to see what the strength of the batsman is, who is batting at that point of time, how the wicket is behaving, whether there is some kind of reverse swing or no reverse swing on offer.
“It's important at that point of time to tell him that it doesn't really matter because what has happened has happened. Even if you sit there for half an hour, the batsman won't get out. I won't tell you what I said but it definitely worked."
Bumrah produced six perfect yorkers in his next two overs, managing a remarkable comeback from a forgettable day. His two overs gave away only thirteen runs. What the captain told Bumrah after the crowd of senior teammates had dispersed might never be known, but things like these are what contribute to the legend of Dhoni.
