Last week, India suffered yet another setback in a major tournament knockout game, as England smashed them in the T20 World Cup semi-final at the Adelaide Oval. The Men in Blue have not won an ICC tournamnet in nearly a decade, losing three finals and four semi-finals in that time.
While fans have become accustomed to seeing India falter in the latter stages of the tournament, no setback is more painful than the 2019 Cricket World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand. The Virat Kohli-led side made a valiant comeback but were unable to cross the line as the Kiwis advanced to the top clash.
The match was going for a last-over finish, with MS Dhoni looking strong on the crease. With 25 needed in 10 balls, a magnificent direct hit from Martin Guptill ended Dhoni's stay at the crease for a 50-run effort and dashed the Indians' hopes.
Guptill, recalling his astonishing throw, remarked that anything else than a direct hit would not have done the job and acknowledged Dhoni's proximity to the crease. New Zealand captain Kane Williamson described the run-out as "unbelievable," saying it provided his team a better opportunity of winning the game.
"Colin de Grandhomme was there but it had to be a direct hit and I think he [Dhoni] was something like that far short (show distance between Dhoni and crease) so if it had been taken he would have been safe so it had to be a direct hit. It was one hell of a game," said Guptill in a video by Prime Video.
"I think I might have been at mid-off that is usually where I stand. It was clearly quite a pivotal point in the match. Unbelievable run-out from Martin Guptill for a direct hit from that distance. It clearly was a big wicket which certainly gave us a much better chance to get across the line," added Williamson.
That was MS Dhoni's final appearance for Team India, as well as his final innings in international cricket. Dhoni declared his retirement from all formats of the national team on August 15, 2020.
New Zealand and India will meet for the first time since their respective losses in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-finals. The series will begin on November 18 with three T20Is and as many ODIs.
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