Virat Kohli is the Indian captain but MS Dhoni sets the field. Suresh Raina is leading the Chennai Super Kings but Dhoni sets the field from the dug-out. Steve Smith, the Rising Pune Supergiants captain runs to Dhoni for field placement suggestions and so does Rohit Sharma. But setting the field for an opposition team? Yes! Dhoni did just that during India’s final warm-up game against Bangladesh. IND vs BAN Highlights of ICC World Cup 2019 Warm-up Match.
The former Indian skipper was batting with KL Rahul when Sabbir Rahman came to bowl the 40th over. But as Sabbir was about to deliver his first ball, Dhoni stopped the bowler mid-way on his run-up and suggested a field placement. Dhoni, who was then batting on 61, advised Sabbir to move his fielder from deep mid-wicket to square leg.
Interestingly, Sabbir and his skipper Mashrafe Mortaza gladly obliged and actually moved the fielder. Well when one of the most successful ODI captains is advising for a field change, how can one refuse. MS Dhoni Hits a Quick Century Against Bangladesh in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Warm-Up Match.
Check Out the Incident Here:
Dhoni went on to hit a century, his first in over two years of ODI cricket. The wicket-keeper batsman made 113 runs from 78 deliveries which included eight fours and seven sixes. He was also involved in a 164-run partnership with KL Rahul (108) that not just rescued India from deep trouble but also helped them in setting a big target for Bangladesh to follow.
India at one stage were deadlocked 102/4 before Dhoni and Rahul rebuild the innings and later increased the run-rate to take the team past the 300-run mark. India eventually beat Bangladesh by 95 runs with Kuldeep Yadav taking three wickets for 47 runs in 10 overs and Jasprit Bumrah complementing his effort with a double. Mushfiqur Rahim (90) and opener Liton Das (73) were the only Bangladeshi batsman to register a half-century or more.
Earlier, India had lost their opening warm-up game against New Zealand by six wickets. They begin their World Cup campaign against South Africa on June 5. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is scheduled to begin on May 30.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 29, 2019 11:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).