5 talking points from MS Dhoni's 28-ball 52-run blitz vs South Africa in 2nd T20
Here is all you need to know about the Jharkhand batsman's quickfire half-century.
Centurion: Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s 28-ball 52 did not go as expected for India on Wednesday as the visitors ended up on the losing side having been beaten by South Africa in the second Twenty20 here.
Watch: Caught on stump mic! MS Dhoni does a Kohli, abuses Manish Pandey, video goes viral
However, the big-hitting batsman from Jharkhand would have some reason to celebrate his innings, as he got to his fifty in just 27 balls.
Firstly, his fifty in 27 balls is just his second fastest half-century he has ever scored, with the only other being against England in England in 2011.
Also read: Virat Kohli praises MS Dhoni, Manish Pandey despite 2nd T20 loss vs South Africa
Notably, the 36-year-old’s latest knock is the joint-fastest by any Indian, with the other being Shikhar Dhawan.
Also read: Yuzvendra Chahal creates this unplesant record during 2nd South Africa vs India T20
Dhoni now has 44 sixes in the shortest format of the game, after the addition of the three sixes he scored on Wednesday. In fact, he is just the third wicketkeeper in the list, with Afghanistan’s Mohammad Shahzad (68 sixes) and New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum ahead of him.
The Chennai Super Kings captain aggregated a total of 28 runs from the last two overs, which ended up being the second-highest score by an Indian batsman. The other fellow countryman to achieve the feat is Yuvraj Singh, who scored 44 from just 10 balls against England back in 2007.
Dhoni was involved in a 98-run partnership with Manish Pandey on Wednesday. As a result, this was the fourth highest partnership for the fifth wicket in T20I’s. Shoaib Malik and Misbah ul Haq leads way in this (119 runs), which is followed by a 102-run stand between Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni in 2013 against Australia.
Below the Indian pair are England’s Paul Collingwood and Owais Shah, who also put up 102 against New Zealand in 2008.
After giving away the second T20 to the hosts, Virat Kohli and his men will look to seal the series when they face the Proteas for the third and final T20I on Saturday.