A thrilling run-out of MS Dhoni by Martin Guptill culminated the World Cup semifinal match between India and New Zealand on July 10, 2019, ending the great cricketer’s career. Even though Martin Guptill has already moved on and only dimly remembers the incident, he continues to get hate mail from ardent Indian supporters. Time has passed, but the recollection still stings, infuriating ardent Indian cricket fans.
Renowned for his skill in white-ball cricket in New Zealand, Martin Guptill has left a lasting impression on India as the player who destroyed a billion Indians’ dreams with an outcome he now believes was just luck.
Speaking on behalf of the Urbanisers Hyderabad team at the Dehradun leg of the current 2023 Legends League Cricket, he shared his opinion of the critical moment. Recognizing that his throw with only one and a half stumps visible was incredibly precise, he called it a lucky break.
It was one of those moments when everything occurred so swiftly. All I can recall is thinking, “Oh no, this is getting closer to me,” as soon as I saw the ball rise. I decided to continue that run, so I put on the skates. I just had one and a half stumps to shoot at, so I tried to have a shot even though I knew there was no possibility of a throw at the stumps and I just got lucky. That was a great toss when all the stars lined up. Put another way, I am not liked by anyone in India. I receive a lot of hate mail from them,” Guptill remarked, as cited by Hindustan Times.
Run-out that cost India a World Cup victory
India suffered losses in the World Cup 2019 semi-final after losing Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya back-to-back. When Dhoni teamed up with Ravindra Jadeja, India’s pursuit of 240 against New Zealand gained momentum. Their measured approach resulted in a strong 17.2-over, 116-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Trent Boult’s sluggish, deceptive delivery, however, succeeded in fooling Jadeja. Standing alone in the tight combat, ‘captain cool’ saw India’s tail exposed.
When Lockie Ferguson’s bouncer hit the seasoned Ranchi hitter hard, he took some time to react and edged the ball behind square. He boldly took a chance on a second run because no fielder was covering that position. Guptill, positioned at fine leg, raced forward, picked up the ball quickly, and struck the stumps precisely. As the ball broke the bails, Dhoni’s diving attempt was just inches short of the crease, ending his innings and India’s hopes.
Home