It was the third ball of the 50th over during India’s innings in Mohali and skipper MS Dhoni, who was beating daylights out of Aussie bowlers, clobbered James Faulkner over long-on fence for a six.
The six came off his trademark helicopter shot that left the left-arm paceman grimacing even as the crowd slipped into delirium. There aren’t many cricketing strokes that inspire such awe and it’s not surprising to see many young kids trying to imitate the shot. In Ranchi, Dhoni’s hometown, many a young trainees at various camps make conscious effort to perfect that stroke but Suresh Raina had word of caution and advice for them.
“That is Mahi bhai’s exclusive,” said Raina when asked if we can see any other batsman playing the stroke. “It’s very difficult to play that shot. You have to pick the length early and when someone is bowling yorkers at 140-145kph and the ball is aimed at the toes, you have to put the entire load on the back and turn the bat. Other players have their own quality shots, but the helicopter shot suits only him and it won’t suit others. He always clears the ropes with it because he has that kind of strength. All players try to hit low full tosses to midwicket or over the bowler’s head, but you need to practice that shot a lot,” he explained.
Raina said winning at Dhoni’s home ground will be special. “Maybe we’ll have dinner at his place tomorrow, that’s the only special plan as of now! But yes, it’s his home ground and we have done well in the past here, winning against England. He (Dhoni) has been batting really well over the years and I’ve learned a lot from him, as well as from Yuvraj Singh. He’s a finisher in one-day cricket as well as Twenty20 cricket. Hopefully, we’ll do really well against Australia tomorrow.”