Mumbai Indians' bowlers will have to be at their best to stop an on-fire Mahendra Singh Dhoni from breaking their six-match winning streak at the Wankhede Stadiun tonight
MS Dhoni
RPS' MS Dhoni during his match-winning 34-ball 61 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pune recently. Pic/PTI
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unbeaten 61 for Rising Pune Supergiant on Saturday will be talked about for a while, thanks to the sheer quality of the match-winning effort in a tight situation.
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His team's coach Stephen Fleming, who has seen many a fine knock by the former India skipper when both assisted Chennai Super Kings, can't get over the 34-ball 61 (5x4, 3x6) against a tough Sunrisers Hyderabad in Pune.
Dhoni determinded: Fleming
Fleming, whose side take on Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede today, revealed yesterday that Dhoni was very determined to play such an innings and worked hard for it. When asked if Dhoni was getting a bit anxio]us because he was not getting big runs, Fleming replied: "Yes, he was determined. He has been training a lot, has certainly hit a lot of balls and it was all building up to an innings of substance. He desperately wants us to do well this year. After last year, we all felt that we needed more contributions from everybody. He, in particular, was the one to put his hand up. So he has been wanting to win a game," said Fleming on match eve.
The New Zealander also explained how one of Team India's greatest match-finishers manages to keep himself in the zone, despite so much noise about his recent performances. Fleming said: "He has never listened or been affected by off-field talk. In some ways, he isolates himself from all that, which is a good thing especially in India with the pressure and the amount of talk there is. The calmness is one of his greatest assets. And on Saturday, it was to the fore.
"We thought it was too late and we had not got too much of the total to leave us with a good chase in the end, but he proved with the hitting, batting skills and the power that players have these days that no score is impossible, and that puts so much pressure on bowlers; and good bowlers too. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been bowling very well. It was a good match-up and a good result for us."
Near-impossible task
Pune needed 30 to get in the last two overs and Dhoni accomplished the task. Fleming elaborated on Dhoni's knock: "It was vintage wasn't it? It was a performance that was befitting a man who has the reputation of being a great finisher. There has been a discussion around when was the last time he has played an innings like that."
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