IPL 2017 Qualifier 1: MI vs RPS - MS Dhoni's spectacular barrage of sixes is SK Play of the Day

Earlier this month, India’s chairman of selectors MSK Prasad had to publicly defend MS Dhoni’s inclusion in the Champions Trophy squad following lingering doubts over the wicket-keeper batsman’s supposedly waning reflexes. However, the veteran seems to be answering his critics in style by putting on an exhibition of his skills with both gloves as well as bat.

Following a stellar show behind the stumps in Rising Pune Supergiant’s penultimate group game against Delhi Daredevils, Dhoni came the fore in the batting department with a resplendent display in the all-important qualifier clash against Mumbai Indians.

Coming into the crease with RPS meandering sedately at 89/3 from 12.4 overs, the 35-year old provided some much-needed energy to the proceedings by smashing an unbeaten 26-ball 40. The highlight of his knock was the flurry of sixes which appeared to take the wind out of Mumbai’s sails.

Watch MS Dhoni’s barrage of sixes here

This was not a traditional batting-friendly surface on offer at the Wankhede Stadium. The sluggish nature of the pitch meant that hitting through the line would be incredibly difficult. However, Dhoni sized up the conditions and decided to do just that.

Karn Sharma, who had bowled reasonably well in his first three overs, came under the firing line. The attacking batsman turned a decent delivery into a half-volley by dancing down the track and sent the ball sailing past the deep mid wicket fence.

The next three overs saw Dhoni trying to manoeuvre the field. However, he could not rotate the strike seamlessly and almost got himself into a rut. From his first 18 balls, he scored just 14 runs. At a time when less experienced batsmen would have found the pressure too much to cope, the seasoned campaigner did not relent.

Carnage at the death

As the in-form Mitchell McClenaghan steamed in, the right-hander did what he often does. Showing his prowess in the business stage of the innings, he plundered two sixes in the 19^th over to add impetus to the scoreboard. A length ball coming in with the angle was duly dispatched beyond the leg-side boundary. Skipper Steven Smith cheered the veteran on from the dug-out.

The left-arm fast bowler delivered another length ball when he would have been better off searching for the block hole. Dhoni capitalised on the erroneous approach and swung through the line. As the ball went high into the night sky, Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma thought he had a chance. Despite his earnest dive along the boundary ropes, he was not able to prevent the inevitable.

More often than not, Jasprit Bumrah could be relied upon to minimise the damage which is invariably created in the final over of an innings. But the wily 23-year old ran into a determined Dhoni this time around. The well-set Manoj Tiwary smartly took a single to bring the experienced batsman back on strike.

What followed was a scarcely believable shot. Flexing his muscles to get on top of the back of length ball, the gloveman carved a flat six through the cover region. After stealing a quick double off the next delivery, he maintained the strike for the remainder of the over.

Despite getting the treatment from Pune’s batting juggernaut, the spate of length balls did not stop. The right-arm seamer landed one right into Dhoni’s arc and watched the ball disappear into the stands once again. For a moment, it was hard to tell on whose side the crowd was on. A packed Mumbai crowd cheered every minute of the mayhem happening on the field.

Bumrah managed to bounce back by keeping Dhoni quiet in the last two deliveries of the innings. Eventually, RPS finished on an ultra-competitive total of 162 for the loss of just 4 wickets. The final flourish might not have been possible without those monstrous hits from the accomplished finisher.