Cricket
Deivarayan Muthu 7y

Dhoni brings out his deadly back-flick

Cricket, NZ tour of India 2016/17

Dhoni runs Taylor out - without looking
The day before the Ranchi ODI, MS Dhoni left Ross Taylor and Tom Latham gawking by driving past the New Zealand team bus in his hummer, with sunglasses on. On Wednesday, Dhoni left Taylor smiling wryly after running him out with a cunning back-hand flick, with sunglasses on. Taylor had just heaved a length ball to the left of Dhawal Kulkarni at fine leg. The fielder swiftly collected the ball and threw it at chest height to Dhoni, who nonchalantly deflected it back onto the leg stump - as he often does - his back facing the crease. Cue in massive cheers from Dhoni's home crowd.

The Mishra drop I
Amit Mishra is the second-oldest member in India's squad, behind Dhoni, and probably the least athletic of the lot. Mishra's issues in the field were put in the spotlight in the seventh over. Martin Guptill, who was in the mood to hit out, had looked to shovel an Umesh Yadav slower ball straight down the ground. The lack of pace meant Guptill dragged it in the air to the left of mid-on. Mishra lumbered in, dived, but the ball merely grazed his left hand and bobbled onto the ground. Not a straightforward chance by any measure, but Mishra could have had a go had he reacted quicker.

The Mishra drop II
The day would get worse for Mishra in the field. After dropping Guptill on 29, Mishra botched a much simpler catch at long-off when Guptill was on 62. Seeing a short, wide delivery, Guptill belted it down the ground. It could have been a regulation catch for Mishra had he stayed on the edge of the long-off boundary. Instead, he ran in. Realising he had misjudged the ball, he did not leap as he stretched his hands upwards to intercept the ball. It wasn't enough. The ball went over his head and then plonked behind him for a one-bounce four. Scott Styris, who was on TV commentary at the time, quipped: "Guptill picked out the right fielder." Guptill went on to make 72.

Latham shows them how it's done
Latham plucked two sharp catches, which highlighted the gulf between the two teams in the field, towards the end of the chase. When Manish Pandey unleashed a fierce bottom-handed shovel against a Tim Southee slower ball in the air in the 33rd over, Latham timed his jump to perfection and took with catch with both his hands over his head at mid-on. Mitchell Santner, who was at midwicket, also leapt in his position in a neat synchronised routine. Three overs later, Latham ran to his left from wide long-off to track down a loft from Hardik Pandya with precision.

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