It was called a game-changing moment of brilliance but New Zealand star Martin Guptill says his direct-hit run-out of the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni in the World Cup semifinal was more a case of luck doing its bit for him.
With Dhoni’s run-out in the 49th over, India’s hopes ended in the thrilling semi-final at Old Trafford on Wednesday. The two-time champions fell short by 18 runs against the last edition’s runner-ups.
“I did not think the ball was actually coming to me, I tried to get there as soon as I could. Once I got hold of the ball, I thought it was actually quite straight. Lucky enough to get a direct hit from out there, lucky for us he was out of his ground,” Guptill said in a short video shared by the ICC on social media.
"Lucky enough to get a direct hit from out there" – New Zealand's @Martyguptill on his ⚡ ️throw to dismiss MS Dhoni in the #CWC19 semi-final against India. #BackTheBlackCaps pic.twitter.com/GnerDahQgQ
— ICC (@ICC) July 11, 2019
As Dhoni played a short ball from Lockie Ferguson off his hip into the leg side, the 38-year-old turned to try and steal a second run – until Guptill swooped.
Coming in from deep fine leg, Guptill picked the ball up in one hand, before throwing down the stumps to catch Dhoni just centimetres out of his ground. From there the Black Caps’ stranglehold on the match didn’t relent, booking their spot in Sunday’s final.
Also, many called Dhoni’s run-out as Guptill’s biggest contribution to the Black Caps in this World Cup as the opening batsman continued to struggle for runs. He has only 167 runs to his name in the tournament so far, at an average of 20.87. Considering he had scored 73 not out against Sri Lanka in the opener, the extent of his contributions in the subsequent matches have been fairly negligible.
