For the second successive match, former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit fifties but with contrasting results. The veteran player was blamed for his slow batting in India's 34-run defeat in the first ODI on Saturday at Sydney, but three days later, he hit the winning runs to keep the Men in Blue alive in the three-match series.
Chasing a stiff target of 299 runs, Indians were never in trouble with the steady partnerships from the top order. But once captain Virat Kohli got out, old fears came to the fore for Indian fans.
Then, Dhoni reproduced one of his fabled finishing moves to see the team home. In his 54-ball knock, the 37-year-old hit two sixes. Both were brilliant hits, but the second one will be remembered for a long time as it came at a time when fans and critics started doubting his touch.
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Dhoni was involved in two stands which made the difference. First, he played the waiting game even as Kohli went for the glory shots. They added 82 runs for the fourth-wicket.
Then, he and Dinesh Karthik stitched an unbeaten 57-run stand to ensure India's 6-wicket win with the former hitting the winning run, fittingly.
