In the 1st ODI at Dharamsala, in absence of Kohli, Dhoni saved the Men in Blue from major embarrassment as he contributed with a fighting 65-run knock, while the rest of the team added just 47 more runs.
Dhoni walked to the crease after the top-four batsmen contributed just 16 runs. Instead of buckling under pressure, Dhoni didn’t allow the Lankan bowlers to settle down, looking to charge down the wicket, to disrupt the rhythm of pacers, who had sent India on backfoot with their disciplined line and length.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya tried to race with Dhoni in the 100m dash. Anyone would be of opinion that the 24-year-old would outrun a 36-year-old, but Dhoni did not give Pandya an inch. If anything, he finished ahead of Pandya in the sprint.
The dash clearly showed the age is not a factor for Dhoni, who is still fit enough to beat anyone hands down.
While Dhoni could not score many with the bat in the second ODI, Dhoni, the wicketkeeper was at his usual best.
India, who had lost the Dharamsala ODI, won the second ODI by 141 runs and levelled the series following a record-breaking third double hundred from Rohit Sharma, who was leading the side in absence of Virat Kohli – who got married with Anushka Sharma on Monday in Italy.
The third and final match of the ODI series will take place at Visakhapatnam on Sunday