World T20 Warm-up Matches, India v South Africa at Mumbai, Mar 12, 2016. The equation was really straightforward. India’s final five overs had to yield 60 runs. Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan have previously partnered for 89 runs. South Africa could not have been more certain that the Indians would go for shots. The South African captain, Faf du Plessis, walked with his second lead fast bowler, Kyle Abbott, noting his run-up and counting his steps.
Abbott had dismissed Rohit Sharma, who had won the match against the West Indies two days prior at Eden Gardens. His initial spelling was 2-0-14-1. But now came the moment of truth. India was searching for the one significant over. Dhawan took up the initial ball. He was prepared to strike strongly, but Abbott’s slower delivery, which dropped on to his feet, forced him to adjust his preparations.
Ball of dots. Dhawan swung the next ball freely, but JP Duminy mishandled a difficult but catchable bounce. Abbott cast a dejected glance and turned to go. Abbott produced a yorker length delivery on the off stump, denying Raina his goal of clearing the square boundary on the off side. Next ball Abbott threw a superb yorker that Dhawan could only admire and extract.
One more ball of dots. The next ball, Abbott launched a bouncer that made Dhawan leap and skip, but the umpire ruled it wide. Abbott turned back to the target, looking down once again. When bowling at death, emotion is not allowed. For the over to be over, both batters took one wicket each. The Abbott over was what turned the tide of the match decisively in South Africa’s advantage. And then there came this new surprise.
MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh hurried out to replace the retiring Dhawan and Raina just as the umpires and South Africans were lining up for the next over. Up to those final five overs, the match had been evenly balanced. With half-centuries from JP Duminy and Quinton de Kock against an Indian bowling lineup that had rested its strike bowling tandem of Ashish Nehra and R Ashwin, South Africa had set a challenging score.
In response, Dhawan and Raina created the framework for Dhoni, Yuvraj, and Hardik Pandya—three powerful players—to complete the task. The top two finishers from India were at the crease. From the last four overs, 55 runs were to be scored. The bowlers were bothered by the dampness. Wankhede was eighty percent filled as the cries of “Dhoni, Dhoni, Dhoni” floated through the air.
The noise level increased as Dhoni mercilessly struck multiple boundaries against Chris Morris. Dale Steyn was then asked by Du Plessis to bowl the following over. The chanting continued. Steyn plunged in headfirst. With a hiccup, Steyn delivered his opening ball short on the leg side. After acrobatic positioning, Dhoni swung the ball for the day’s highest six, into the uppermost deck of Garware Pavilion behind the square.
Steyn ended up giving up fifteen runs. Abbott reappeared. On the first ball, Dhoni was able to score a single. Yuvraj attempted to cross-bat a quick, short offering that was angling away, but failed. One more sluggish, hefty ball yielded only one run. Once more, the formula was straightforward: India need 22 runs from eight balls. Dhoni resumed his strike. Abbott ventured to deliver a bouncer on off stump at a slower pace.
It was the ideal duration at the ideal tempo. His lone mistake was that the umpire called it wide since it was only an inch over the tram line. Abbott apologized by severing a ball from Dhoni’s torso. Now, it was the final ball in his tenure. Choosing the slower bouncer was his move. Yuvraj did not rush this time. He hesitated, then gave it a long, hard six-strike. Six balls, fourteen runs is a simple equation.
Morris began with a yorker that rolled off the stump and Dhoni attempted to cut it but failed. In vain, he glanced to the umpire to indicate a wide. A second wild swing that was intended to go over the leg side only managed to produce a single. Morris kept bowling as fully as he could, but Yuvraj sprinted hard for two runs. Yuvraj almost got out after a brilliant low full toss, but he was spared by an inside edge. Ten from the last two balls.
Morris lost control of the ball, which resulted in a full toss, and Dhoni scored an easy four. Six runs off of one ball. Dhoni was backed by an enthusiastic and restless audience. To keep the ball dry, Du Plessis wiped it down with the white towel. Morris patted his sweating shoulders. He inhaled deeply and lunged ahead. He gave a yorker that was off-stump, but it was a wide.
Across the ground, cameras flashed, eager to record that particular moment. Morris emerged victorious, as Dhoni could manage only a low full toss straight to deep square leg on the last ball. That was not like Dhoni at all; he did not even finish the run. India was defeated by four runs.
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat.
World T20 Warm-up Matches
2015/16 season
Played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
12 March 2016 – night match (20-over match)
India team
MS Dhoni*†, R Ashwin, JJ Bumrah, S Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, RA Jadeja, V Kohli, Mohammed Shami, P Negi, A Nehra, HH Pandya, AM Rahane, SK Raina, RG Sharma, Yuvraj Singh.
Umpires – HDPK Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and MA Gough (England)
Match referee – DC Boon (Australia)
Reserve umpire – VA Kulkarni