Glenn Maxwell may have just dropped the series when he dropped MS Dhoni at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the third ODI of the three-match series between India and Australia.
Exactly half way through the 17th over, Dhoni came out to the middle to bat at number 4 following Shikhar Dhawan's dismissal. Of his very first ball, Dhoni played an uppish cut shot to Maxwell standing at backward point. The ball went to the Aussie all-rounder to his left at a comfortable height, he caught the ball and in a moment it popped out and fell onto the ground.
It was a crucial juncture in the match as Marcus Stoinis had scalped Dhawan and getting Dhoni of the very next ball would have tilted the game in the host's favour. Dhoni has been slowly creeping back into form having scored a fifty in India's previous two games in the series. Although his knock in the opening match drew a lot of criticism for being slow, the wicketkeeper-batsman's innings in the last game gave Kohli a glimpse of the old Dhoni.
Dhoni scored an unbeaten 55 of 54 balls and was there till the end along with Dinesh Karthik to see India through to victory. Thus, picking Dhoni up when the score was 59 would have opened up India's inexperienced middle order and put Australia in a strong position to win the match, and hence the series.
The drop catch, under these circumstances, naturally irked fans on social media.
Indians fans are more sad than Aussie fans after that drop catch of dhoni. Prepare yourself for a test match #AUSvIND
— mustafa (@Mustafa_JKh) January 18, 2019
Maxwell has just dropped the series #AUSvIND
— Brendan Borg (@GoonerTID12) January 18, 2019
That was a bag shit @Gmaxi_32 #AUSvIND
— Stu (@sfrench67) January 18, 2019
Concentrate on the game
Dropping #Msdhoni can be costly. Very very costly!?#AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/pVlSPtxCI1
— Yuvraj Adhikari (@yuvraj_a99) January 18, 2019
Big show drops a dolly , what have I done my dear boy!!#AusvInd
— srikrishna ? (@1998Srikrishna) January 18, 2019
Get the fuck out of this team u hack #bigshow #parkcricketer #AUSvIND
— Stephen Turner (@apples2967) January 18, 2019
Get the fuck out of this team u hack #bigshow #parkcricketer #AUSvIND
— Stephen Turner (@apples2967) January 18, 2019
Why is Dhoni trying to do an Inzi???#RunOut!#AUSvIND #India #Australia
— Shrikant Shankar (@Shrikant_23) January 18, 2019
Dhoni-Kohli trying hard to give us heart attack with their running #AUSvIND
— Moumita?? (@i_m_mou) January 18, 2019
Maxwell ne Jaan Bujh Kar Dhoni Ka Catch Chhoda kyunki Use Pata he ki jiss Strike Rate se dhoni khelta he .. Fayda Australia ka hi he ... ? Why Maxwell Why ? #AUSvIND #INDvAUS
— Pruthvi Ahir (@PruthviAhir9) January 18, 2019