IPL 2017: Mohammad Shami revels in match-winning run out of MS Dhoni

What’s the story?

Delhi Daredevils speedster Mohammad Shami is overjoyed with his game-changing run out of MS Dhoni in the IPL fixture against Rising Pune Supergiant on Friday that helped his side register a consolation 7-run win in front of their home fans at the Feroz Shah Kotla.

Known for his quick running between the wickets, Dhoni was caught off-guard by a direct hit from Shami who was fielding at the short fine leg region. Needing 35 runs to win from 16 balls with 6 wickets in hand at the time, Shami revealed that he had to take the chance considering the importance of Dhoni’s wicket and was ecstatic that it paid off.

"Dhoni is a game-changer," Shami said. "He runs so fast [between the wickets]. It was a 50-50 situation and I took the chance as [I thought] if it worked, it would help us to win."\

You can watch the video here.

The background

Known for his smart skills on the field, Dhoni has earned a reputation as one of the brightest wicket keepers in the world despite not being among the most agile ones in the lot. His unorthodox and innovative keeping behind the stumps have helped India out on numerous occasions and we have also witnessed quite a few such instances in the IPL as well.

Extra Cover: Explaining MS Dhoni's wicket-keeping: The unorthodox fox behind the stumps

On Friday, however, the tables turned as Dhoni was the one on the receiving end as he strolled off for a single after the ball deflected off his pads to the short fine leg region during the 18^th over of the RPS innings. Ben Stokes dismissal a couple of overs earlier had placed the focus on Dhoni to finish off the game for Steven Smith’s side who are yet to secure their spot for the knockout stages of this year’s IPL.

Not realising that he was in danger, Dhoni opted to concentrate more on whether his partner would make the crease but Shami had other intentions as he aimed directly at the non-striker’s end to send Dhoni back to the pavilion.

The details

Delhi’s disastrous start to the 2017 IPL, where they won only two of their first six matches means they are out of the reckoning in the race for the Top 4 this season despite winning four of their past five matches.

The nothing to lose attitude has helped the young side play with a clear mindset and that reflected in the Dhoni run-out as well on Friday with Shami revealing that he simply had no other go than to aim at the stumps considering Dhoni’s credentials as a finisher, especially in run-chases.

Even though more than two-runs-a-ball was required at the time, Pune were having the momentum in their stride and with someone like Dhoni at the crease the match was slightly tilted in their favour. Shami’s direct hit, however, changed the equation completely as Pune lost steam and eventually lost the game by 7 runs.

Extra Cover: IPL 2017, DD vs RPS: 5 things that went wrong for Rising Pune Supergiant

What’s next?

The final round of the 2017 IPL group stage matches gets underway on Saturday with Gujarat Lions taking on reigning champions Sunrisers Hyderabad followed by the heavyweight clash between Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Friday’s loss means the RPS will have everything to play for in their match against Top 4 contenders Kings XI Punjab on Sunday while Delhi Daredevils will take on the struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore side in the second game of the day.

Author’s take

A simple look at the run-out video reveals that Dhoni underestimated Shami and his throwing abilities and unfortunately for the former Indian skipper, he paid the price for his carelessness and eventually saw his side lose the game as well.

For a man with so much experience behind him, Dhoni will be furious with himself for having blown away the opportunity to lead his side to the knockout stages of the 2017 IPL with such a silly mistake and hopefully he will take this dismissal in his stride and work on not repeating such a mistake in the future.