ICC World Cup 2019: Indian fan dies after MS Dhoni’s dismissal in the semi-final

Ever since MS Dhoni started donning the national colours, his fandom has only increased. The veteran turned 38 years old and yet his fan-following hasn’t diminished by any means. Dhoni has had to face criticism, but the love and adoration for him have transcended them. However, there’s a dark side attached to the immense attachment and fondness for the players.

Quite often, pieces of news of deaths have emerged, related to affinity towards fans’ favourites. The 2019 World Cup semi-final match between India and New Zealand was also a witness to a similar incident, surrounding Dhoni. Srikanta Maity, a 33-year-old shop owner in Kolkata collapsed in his shop after Dhoni’s dismissal. He was taken to the hospital, but he couldn’t survive.

He was following the match at the Old Trafford, Manchester, on his mobile phone. “We rushed to his help on hearing a loud thud. We saw him lying unconscious on the floor. We took him to Khanakul Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival,” Sachin Ghosh, a sweet shop-owner in the area was quoted as saying in The Times of India (TOI).

Dhoni couldn’t finish for India

Dhoni was again expected to pull off something spectacular for his team. After India restricted the Black Caps to 239 in 50 overs, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul perished in no time with the score at 5/3 in 3.1 overs. Dhoni came to bat at number seven after the fall of Rishabh Pant’s wicket. At that time, the Men in Blue were reeling at 71/5 in 22.5 overs.

In the 31st over, Dhoni lost Hardik Pandya as his partner. Thereafter, he brought India back into the game with a partnership of 116-runs along with Ravindra Jadeja, who top-scored for them, having scored 77 off 59 with four boundaries and as many sixes. Even after Jadeja got out, there was still hope for Team India as the experienced Dhoni was still in the middle.

In the penultimate over, Martin Guptill pulled off a jaw-dropping run-out to send back Dhoni. After the prized wicket, the Kiwis didn’t suffer any hiccups and bowled India out for 221 in 49.3 overs.