Dhoni's heroic ton goes in vain as Pakistan notch up six-wicket win

December 31, 2012

Junaid-Khan

Chennai, December 31: Left-arm pacer Junaid Khan scythed through India's top-order with a four-wicket burst to set up Pakistan's six-wicket victory in the first one-day international at the Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

The 23-year-old Junaid left the home side struggling at 29 for 5 with a destructive opening spell after the tourists opted to bowl first, before MS Dhoni struck a remarkable 113 not out from 125 balls to help India recover to a respectable 227 for 6 in the day match.

Left-handed opener Nasir Jamshed struck his second ODI century (101 not out) and the experienced Younus Khan hit 58 as Pakistan achieved the target with 11 deliveries remaining to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. The second ODI will be played in Kolkata on January 3.

Junaid exploited the helpful conditions following overnight showers to make a mockery of India's top-order as he dismissed Virender Sehwag (4), Virat Kohli (0), Yuvraj Singh (2) and Rohit Sharma (4) in quick succession in a display of quality seam bowling.

Struggling Gautam Gambhir was bowled by tall pacer Mohammad Irfan as India's brittle batting lost their way before man-of-the-match Dhoni hit his eighth ODI hundred and shared in two vital partnerships to put the innings back on track in the first international game implementing a series of rule changes in ODIs.

Dropped on 16 by Misbah-ul-Haq off off-spinner Md Hafeez with the team score on 84/5, Dhoni, who braved bouts of cramps, put on 73 in 142 deliveries for the sixth wicket with Suresh Raina (43) to stabilise the innings.

Raina fell to Hafeez in the second ball of the batting Powerplay, taken in the 34th over, but Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin (31 not out) shared in a 125-run stand for the next wicket with the skipper leading the way with a display of controlled aggression.

Dhoni hit his first boundary in the 79th delivery that he faced but stepped up the tempo as he struck six more boundaries and three sixes. He hit Irfan for two fours and a six off successive deliveries to reach his 100 as he also crossed the 7000-run mark in ODIs.

Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar became the first Indian to take a wicket with his first delivery on ODI debut when he clean bowled Hafeez. Later, he had Azhar Ali caught at square-leg to reduce the tourists to 21/2.

Although his early breakthroughs raised Indian hopes, the host attack lacked depth to put the pressure on Pakistan as Jamshed and Younus shared in a 112-run stand for the third wicket.

Ashok Dinda dismissed Younus but Pakistan were in complete control of the game as Jamshed put on 39 with Misbah for the fourth wicket and sealed the match in the company of Shoaib Malik (34 not out).

Virat Kohli injured his knee after slipping during bowling. He underwent an MRI scan and is doubtful for the Kolkata game.

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News Network
April 21,2020

New Delhi, Apr 21: India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday said people seem to have become more compassionate while coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and hoped the sense of gratitude towards frontline workers like doctors and police personnel remains even after the crisis is over.

Speaking in an online class organised by "Unacademy", Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma spoke at length about the challenges they faced before tasting success.

"The one positive out of this crisis that we as a society have become more compassionate. We are showing more gratitude to the frontline workers in this war, be it police personnel, doctors or nurses.

"I hope it stays this way even after we overcome this crisis," said Kohli with Sharma seated next to her.

Kohli said the pandemic has taught the world a very important lesson.

"Life is unpredictable. So, do what makes you happy and not get into comparisons all the time. People have a choice now how to come out of this phase. Life is going to be different after this," said the skipper.

For Sharma, the pandemic has forced people to care about the basics in life.

"There is a learning in all of this. Nothing happens without a reason. If the frontline workers were not there, we would not have access to basics," she said..

"This has taught us that no one is special than the other. Health is everything. We are more connected as a society now," she added.

During the session, Kohli was asked about the moment when he felt most helpless.

"I felt nothing was working for me when I was not picked for the state team initially. I cried the whole night and asked my coach 'why did I not get selected'?" he responded.

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Agencies
June 8,2020

New Delhi, Jun 8: Indian pacer S Sreesanth has slammed England all-rounder Ben Stokes for questioning MS Dhoni's intent during a World Cup match, saying that the former captain will end Stokes' career.

Stokes in his book titled 'On Fire' had questioned Dhoni's intent during India's 31-run defeat at the hands of England in the premier tournament last year.

"For Ben Stokes, I will only say that you should pray that Dhoni does not play against you in the future. Dhoni does not forget things easily," Sreesanth said during a Live session on Helo.

"I wish Stokes all the best for whenever he faces Dhoni again, be it IPL or an England vs India match. You must be earning in millions now, Dhoni Bhai will end your career. Dhoni will strike the ball everywhere and he (Stokes) can never dismiss Dhoni. Before he (Stokes) opens his mouth, he should make sure to wear a helmet," he added.

Former West Indies pacer Michael Holding had also come out in support of Dhoni and said that the wicket-keeper batsman wanted to win the match against England.

"Well, people will write anything in books these days, because people are a lot more free with their opinions and when they are writing books, they need to be making headlines at times," Holding had said on his official YouTube channel.

"...It was not the game that India had to win, but I don't think anyone can say that was a team tactic to lose the game. I watched that game and it appeared to me as if India weren't putting up their 100 percent, but I realised it was not the case when the expression on MS Dhoni's face told me that he desperately wanted to win, so I do not think it was a team decision to not try to win," he had added.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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