Asia Cup Final: MS Dhoni takes one third of a second to send back centurion Liton Das

MS Dhoni turned back the clock during the Asia Cup final between India and Bangladesh in Dubai on Friday.

cricket Updated: Sep 28, 2018 20:19 IST
MS Dhoni completed the stumpings of Liton Das and Mushrafe Mortaza in the Asia Cup final.(AFP)

MS Dhoni is well known for his lightning quick reflexes behind the stumps and on Friday, the veteran once again provided the crucial breakthrough for India during the Asia Cup 2018 final against Bangladesh.

Liton Das, who slammed his maiden century, was beaten by a googly from Kuldeep Yadav and Dhoni pulled off a trademark stumping to get rid of the 23-year-old. It was a big wicket for India as Liton was looking in brilliant touch and the breakthrough was one of the main reasons why Bangladesh were not able to post a 250-plus total. Dhoni had just one third of a second to complete the dismissal but the former skipper was completely up to the task.

Two overs later, Dhoni was once again called into action as he completed his 131st stumping in List A cricket to get rid of Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza. This time, the chance was easier as Mortaza stepped out to play the shot but Dhoni took no chance as he took the bails off in a flash.

When it comes to wicketkeepers with most stumpings in List A cricket, Dhoni is second in the list behind Pakistan’s Moin Khan (138). England’s Steve Rhodes and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara are third and fourth respectively.

Earlier in the match, Dhoni also showed glimpses of his leadership capabilities when he directed Ravindra Jadeja to complete the run-out of Mohammad Mithun. With both batsmen running towards the same end, Dhoni instructed Jadeja to throw the ball towards the non-striker’s end and Yuzvendra Chahal did the rest.

First Published: Sep 28, 2018 20:13 IST