Trent Bridge Test: MS Dhoni Joins August India 'Club' in England
Three days after turning 33, MS Dhoni scored 82 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham to become the fourth Indian batsman to score more than 300 runs against England in England in Test cricket.
At Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday, MS Dhoni was run out for 82, 18 short of his seventh Test hundred but not before he joined Mohammed Azharuddin (468), Sourav Ganguly (351) and Vijay Hazare (333), to become the fourth Indian captain to score more than 300 Test runs against England in England. (Matchcentre | Blog)
The Indian captain fell 10 runs short of his highest score in England (92 at The Oval in 2007) en route to what was one of the most crucial knocks of his career. The tourists had been whitewashed in a four-match series back in 2011 and there would be serious questions on his leadership credentials if India went down without a fight again. But India have shown the right intent with Dhoni getting runs when it mattered.
Dhoni had joined centurion Murali Vijay with India in a spot of bother at 178/4 in 60 overs on Day 1. Ajinkya Rahane perished to Liam Plunkett and Dhoni arrived in the middle of a torrid spell by the English quicks. The wicketkeeper batsman batted aggressively to race to his half-century before dropping anchor to bat India to a position of strength. Dhoni paced his innings well after realizing that the Trent Bridge pitch was more suited to his side than the hosts, who have already expressed their displeasure with the 22-yard strip. (Stats: Vijay's Maiden Overseas Ton and Dhoni's 'Record' Fifty)
Dhoni, who turned 33 on Monday, is leading India against England for the fifth time in England and yet this could be the most crucial phase of his Test captaincy, having lost two previous series away and at home in 2012. The skipper's birthday has certainly brought luck to the team as Dhoni promoted himself to number six after he decided to sacrifice a batsman for a bowling all-rounder. That also allowed him to bat with a well-set Vijay, instead of the tail-end of the batting line-up, which crumbled against sustained pressure in the second session on Thursday.
Dhoni had last scored a hundred (a breathtaking 224) against Australia in Chennai in 2013. India had gone on to win the series 4-0, avenging their humiliating defeat by a similar margin Down Under a year earlier.