MUMBAI: Manchester is 4585 miles west of Mumbai. The big distance though doesn’t erase bitter memories of four years ago. Fourth-placed New Zealand ended table-toppers India’s run in the 2019 ODI World Cup at Old Trafford, beating them by 18 runs in a rain-affected two-day semifinal.
Lockie Ferguson’s bouncer, hook-pulled-flicked, all with one hand by MS Dhoni in the 49th over, with the Indian legend trying to scamper back for two to hog the strike and being beaten by inches by a freakish direct hit with one stump to aim at from deep square-leg by Martin Guptill, with 25 needed off 10 balls for a heist, still gets Indian fans teary-eyed. That it was MSD’s last bit of action in an India shirt adds to that sadness.
