It was 24 February 2013 – the third day of the first Test match at Chennai during Australia’s tour of India. India had managed a slender lead of 26 runs in response to Australia’s first innings total of 380 runs when Bhuvneshwar Kumar joined hands with MS Dhoni at the fall of Harbhajan Singh’s wicket. Australia was looking to wrap things up quickly, but they didn’t find the number 10 batsman easy enough to dismiss.
What followed next was a 140-run stand between Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar that helped India manage a massive 192-run lead over the Aussies.
Dhoni was the real aggressor in that partnership as he scored 90 percent of that 140-run stand. It also helped him to get to his maiden Test double hundred. Bhuvneshwar had played the second fiddle scoring less than 20 runs in that partnership. However, he had provided Dhoni the much needed support at the other end. His accumulation at the end of the innings was 38 runs off 97 deliveries.
After bowling out Australia for 241 runs in the second innings, India went on to win the match comfortably by 8 wickets.
Cut to 24 August 2017
The duo produced something similar again but this time in an ODI.
MS Dhoni was again left with the task of rescuing India out of trouble when they were reduced to 131/7 chasing a target of 231 runs.
It was one of the most dismal collapses as India lost those 7 wickets in a space of 22 runs and that too after an opening stand of 109 runs between Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. Such a collapse was only because of one single man – Akila Dananjaya who ripped apart the Indian batting unit with a 6-wicket haul.
The stage was once again set for Bhuvneshwar Kumar to join hands with MS Dhoni. In search of an able partner, Dhoni once again had to look up to Bhuvneshwar for support.
And the latter didn’t disappoint Dhoni this time as well.
Weathering the Storm
Both batsmen saw through the tough period with a rock-solid defensive approach and a placid temperament. The removal of Dananjaya from the attack helped their cause further.
Some aggressive yorkers and terrific bouncers were hurled upon Bhuvneshwar. However, nothing bothered him. It looked like he had his sights firmly set on the target. And Dhoni’s presence at the other end gave him a sense of assurance. More importantly, it gave him a feeling of déjà vu that they had done it before and they could do it again.
They kept the score-board ticking along with singles as the Sri Lankans kept things tight.
The aggressive approach of the openers had given the duo a lot of time and deliveries to score those remaining 100 runs.
As a result, they didn’t shy away from playing dot balls as well.
One thing worth admiration was the way they established their partnership, trusting each other all through. More importantly, the way Dhoni didn’t hesitate to give the strike back to Bhuvneshwar on the very first delivery of an over showed the enormous faith he had in the number 9 batsman. A spread-out field made it easier for the duo to rotate the strike. The Sri Lankans showed no urgency to break the partnership and it kept growing.
The Change in Gears
Finally, when the equation was slowly approaching a one-run-a-ball situation, everyone was expecting Dhoni to go for a couple of big shots. Everyone knows how Dhoni can change gears and it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he would have done so here as well.
However, they did get a surprise when Bhuvneshwar Kumar tried to accelerate in order to ease the pressure off Dhoni a bit.
He eased the pressure with a slog sweep that went straight over the mid-wicket boundary for a six. A few deliveries later he followed it up with a couple of boundaries –one with a beautiful square drive and another with a gentle leg glance.
The equation was again down to scoring at around 4 runs an over with India needing just 42 runs to win.
The Reversal of Roles
It seemed like there was a reversal of roles from what happened in the Chennai Test four years back. This time it was the recognised batsman, MS Dhoni, who was playing the second fiddle. And it was none other than Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a bowler, who was taking the attack to the opposition.
Soon after, Bhuvneshwar brought up his fifty which was also the first of his ODI career. A few deliveries later, Dhoni was left with the task of scoring the winning runs with India requiring just 1 run to win with 16 deliveries to spare. However, Sri Lanka denied him of scoring the winning runs as Vishwa Fernando bowled a wide delivery down the leg side.
The mission was accomplished. The two players were successful in their rescue act once again. Bhuvneshwar led from the front while Dhoni provided the cover fire from behind.
The former took calculated risks with four boundaries and one six in his unbeaten 53 while the latter’s innings, an unbeaten 45, which consisted of a lone boundary was more about ensuring the victory.
They seemed like two men on a rescue mission and they would be glad that they helped India to the doors of victory from the jaws of defeat.
(Prasenjit Dey is a freelance cricket writer. He can be reached at@Prosen02. The opinions expressed are the author’s own and The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)
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