7 Occasions where MS Dhoni cost the match for India with his batting

3. T20I vs Zimbabwe in Harare, 2016

MS Dhoni took the decision of touring Zimbabwe for ODI and T20I series in 2016. It was the first time he was leading India in Zimbabwe and his first to that country in 11 years. India thumped the hosts in the ODI series which they sealed by 2-1 margin. Zimbabwe looked in trouble during the first T20I where they were reduced to 111/5 by the start of 16th over. Elton Chigumbura hit a record seven sixes during his 26-ball 54 as the hosts ended up with a solid total of 170/6.

India lost early wickets in the run chase but Manish Pandey made 48 from 34 balls to keep down the RRR floating around 10 in the second half. Dhoni came to bat when India needed 81 from 46 balls but failed to score at a quick pace. He took singles which led to the pressure increasing at the other end. After Pandey’s dismissal, Axar Patel scored a quick 18 from only 9 balls. He was dismissed on the 2nd ball of the final over when India needed seven more runs to win.

Dhoni took a single on the first ball of the over and repeated the same on the 3rd ball. He got back to the strike on the last ball of the innings when India needed four runs. Neville Madziva bowled the final delivery close to the wide line which didn’t give a chance for Dhoni to get proper contact. Only one run came off that ball as India lost the match by two runs. The Indian skipper remained unbeaten on 19 from 17 balls.