IND vs AUS 2017: MS Dhoni becomes fourth Indian batsman to notch up 100 fifties in international cricket

Dhoni is also the second wicketkeeper-batsman after Kumar Sangakkara to achieve this milestone.

IANS

New Delhi: India wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni added yet feather to his illustrious cap as he notched up yet another half-century, in the ongoing One-Day International match against Australia at M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday. Ergo, his tally of international fifties adds up to

Opting to bat first, Team India squandered three down with just 11 runs on the board well within the first powerplay session. Pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile wreaked havoc to remove jittery opener Ajinkya Rahane (5) and then skipper Virat Kohli and lthen Manish Pandey for a duck. It was for the third instance in the history of Indian cricket that such an instance had occured.

Rohit Sharma (28) and Kedar Jadhav (40) looked to revive India's faltering innings, but fell aprt shortly giving the visisting side a much needed reason to smile. India were 87 for five at the end of 22 overs and only something brilliant out of their willows could breathe life into India's stuttering innings.

Hardik Pandya (83) carved a breath-taking innings off his bat hitting a flurry of boundaries and sixes as he combined with Dhoni to post a partnership of 118 runs in 116 balls and thus bolstered India's run tally to 295 runs. After Pandya's unfortunate dismissal, Dhoni rampaged through and notched up his 66th ODI fifty as the home team ceased at 281 at the loss of seven wickets.

Dhoni laced through four boundaries and two sixes to amass an 88-ball 79 and thus take his tally of half-centuries to 100, in international cricket – 66 in ODIs, 33 in Test cricket and only one in T20Is. He is the fourth Indian batsman to achieve the feat after Sacin Tendulkar (164), followed by Rahul Dravid (145) and then Sourav Ganguly (106). He is also the second wicketkeeper-batsman after Kumar Sangakkara to achieve this milestone.