Happy Birthday Mahi – Reliving a partnership between MSD and Virat Kohli that sent Australia crashing in 2016

It is the 43rd birthday of MS Dhoni and the entire nation has been abuzz with the iconics of Mahi on the cricketing field and off it too. Back in 2016, when India was entangled in a fierce battle in a virtual quarter-final of the T20 World Cup against Australia, not every name in the locker room had what it took to steer India to the semis.

Virat Kohli waged a single-handed war against the might of the Aussies while desperately scrambling for a partner who could hold fort at the non-striker’s end. With India teetering at 94/4 from 14 overs, the Men in Blue needed 67 from 36 balls.

India lost the likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh while Virat continued to toil at the other end. With a defeat and an exit from the World Cup looming large, MS Dhoni walked out in the center. After a prolonged deliberation in the middle with Virat Kohli, Dhoni started playing a heroic cameo where he would often get off his characteristic batting to aid Virat Kohli.

Kohli resumed the role of an aggressor, smashing the Aussie bowlers out of reckoning while Dhoni kept on steering the strikes. With occasional loose balls being dispatched, Dhoni would leave the Australians with all sorts of qualms in their heads while Kohli unleashed a full-blown battery at the other end.

From the 17th over, Virat Kohli shifted to third gears while MS Dhoni played the perfect two to tango, allowing India to clinch a remarkable victory that would eventually set a semi-final date with West Indies where Dhoni and Kohli would again come together to forge a crucial partnership only to be denied a spot in the finals after a superlative batting display by West Indies.

The 67-run stand between Dhoni and Kohli from just 31 balls till date remains to be one of the finest partnerships in Indian cricket where the numbers would probably not justify the true great of the stand but the ones in attendance and the ones who witness the fixture live would know the kind of jeopardy that MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli steered India out of after Australia had all their cannons out for a free fire. Wishing you a very happy 43rd, Mahi.