New Delhi:
MS Dhoni is a machine. Not only is he one of the greatest wicketkeepers in the world, his tactical acumen continues to be the best in the business. In addition, he continues to contribute runs on a consistent basis in the lower-middle order and he is a finisher-par-excellence. In the Hyderabad ODI against Australia, Dhoni continued to hurt the five-time world champions as he smashed his 71st ODI fifty and shared a 141-run stand with Kedar Jadhav (81*) to help India chase down 237 and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. This was the third consecutive time that Dhoni had hurt Australia in a chase in ODIs, having hit fifties in Adelaide and Melbourne to help India secure a historic bilateral ODI series Down Under in January 2019.
In the process of his fifty, Dhoni entered an elite list of batsmen. The former India skipper became only the fourth Indian player to go past 15000 runs in List A cricket. Sachin Tendulkar leads the list with 21999 runs at an average of 45.54 with 60 centuries and 114 fifties. Sourav Ganguly is second on the list with 15622 runs at an average of 41.32 while Rahul Dravid has 15271 runs at an average og 42.30.
His 71st fifty was his 11th in ODIs against Australia and in addition to his two centuries, he is 10th on the all-time list of fifty-plus scores against the Aussies. Among wicketkeeper batsmen, Dhoni is second on the list with 10474 runs at an average of 51 but he is still behind Kumar Sangakkara who has amassed 13341 runs at an average of 43.74.
Graeme Gooch of England is the leading run-getter in List A with 22211 runs at an average of 40.16 while Graeme Hick of England is second on the list with 22059 runs.
The second match will take place at the VCA stadium and Dhoni has a great record at this venue, averaging 134 with two centuries. Australia has never won at Jamtha, losing all three games in 2009, 2013 and 2017. In 2009, Dhoni smashed his first century against Australia when he blasted 124 to help India reach 354/5, their highest total against Australia at this venue. Australia has lost three consecutive bilateral ODI series in India starting from 2010.
