India vs New Zealand In ODI WC 2019
India vs New Zealand In ODI WC 2019 (Image Credit: Twitter)

Two years ago, in a game spread for two days, on July 9 and 10, Ravindra Jadeja put on an outstanding, proper 3-Dimensional performance in Manchester. However, it went in vain as India, one of the two favourites alongside England to win the title, crashed out of their second consecutive 50-over World Cup semi-final.

“45 minutes of bad cricket puts you out of the tournament.” This is how skipper Virat Kohli would go on to deduce the reason for India’s loss on that day – and later on as well whenever irked on being asked about the disheartening memory of that loss at Old Trafford.

A teary-eyed MS Dhoni walking back, almost weeping, after a rare run-out; a dejected Rohit Sharma and his helpless face on the glass wall, lamenting the almost inevitable loss; Virat Kohli getting out to another left-arm seamer; Ravindra Jadeja’s heroics; the what-ifs and what-nots – all linger in the memory of fans, fresh still.

And no matter what happens going forward, no matter if India sweeps all the next three World Cups in three consecutive years. Those memories will always hurt Indian fans, that fateful day will always be the one where MS Dhoni couldn’t finish, the game which turned out to be his last one for his country.

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Trent Boult, Virat Kohli.
Trent Boult dismissing Virat Kohli. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

The “45 minutes of bad cricket” Kohli talked about was the phase when Matt Henry and Trent Boult, two fine exponents of the new-ball and deadly when conditions in their favour, pulled the heart out of the Indian supporters at the blue-clad stadium and the ones at home on the Teles with an exquisite display of swing and seam bowling.

Rohit Sharma. Edged and caught behind. Virat Kohli. Trapped in front; umpire’s call on review which was given the bowler’s way. KL Rahul. Caught Behind. India on the mat at 5/3.

Dinesh Karthik. Stunningly caught at the point on the last ball of the 10th over. 24/4 with the referee having counted till two. India all but out of the tournament in one-fifth of their chase of a par a target of 240 runs, which the Kiwis had set on the back of fifties from Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson.

The young duo of Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya, both playing their first ODI World Cup, tried to recover the innings with a 47-run fifth-wicket stand while eschewing their ultra-aggressive attacking instincts for 13 overs.

However, with the pressure of the required run-rate mounting, something had to give. Pant’s eyes lit up seeing, a spinner, at last, being brought in by Williamson. However, the occasion proved to be too big for the young, inexperienced Pant, as he holed out in the deep, near the boundary line in Santner’s second over.

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Pandya too succumbed to Santner, who had given away just 5 runs in his first 5 overs, while playing a pressure-release shot, but lost his wicket.

31 overs – India 94/6.

India had opted for the extra batting cushion of Ravindra Jadeja in the game over Kuldeep Yadav. Jadeja had already made big influences on the game with the ball – 1/34 in 10 overs – and the field – catches of Williamson and Tom Latham and a fantastic direct hit run-out of Taylor. But India needed his batting too, big time.

The left-hander obliged. There was no stopping Ravindra Jadeja that day; such was his form he could have turned stone into gold by touching it. It took him just 5 balls to set his eye in, and to come down the track to smack James Neesham whacking him for a six. He would hit three more sixes, this time to the challenging bowling of Santner and Lockie Ferguson.

Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja | Source: Twitter

In quick time, he brought up his fifty – off 39 balls – and then there was the sword celebration; a gesture towards the commentary box too – to you-know-who, a certain commentator whom he had already given a verbal reply on Twitter. Now it was his performance talking.

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The match seemed hung in balance. Ravindra Jadeja continued to go about his business in the same fashion. Dhoni, on the other end, however, trudged with a solitary four till then – till the 47th over.

32 needed off 14. Alas, the pressure got too big on Ravindra Jadeja – the batsman swung his bat to harrumph a Boult delivery for another maximum, but mistimed it for Williamson to safely pouch it under immense pressure.

All hopes were now on Dhoni, whose batting, hitting, finishing prowess was clearly on the wane in the last couple of years of his career. He slapped a Lockie Ferguson short ball for a six over deep backward point.

MS Dhoni, MS Dhoni Run Out
MS Dhoni run out in the 2019 WC SF vs New Zealand. (Photo: Getty Images)

Hopes still firm on one man. Until it ceased altogether, at once, when he was run-out a ball later courtesy a sharp direct hit from Martin Guptill. Dhoni, one of the quickest between the wickets, fell inches short of completing the second run; the referee finally counted the third fall down, and the image of Dhoni shedding tears while lumbering back lingers in the melancholic memories.

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