Dinesh Bana finished the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2022 final with two consecutive sixes off James Sales as India won the ICC Under-19 World Cup for a record fifth time.
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Winning the title with a six! Sounds familiar? For Indian cricket fans, it is a story of the glory days of 2010 to 2013. The script would be simple. India would be nearing a win in a major ICC event or a multi-lateral series. MS Dhoni would wind up and hit a six to seal the deal in grand style. 11 years later, a youngster hailing from Hisar, Haryana would reproduce the similar magic that MS Dhoni did 11 years ago.
Dinesh Bana, the India Under-19 wicketkeeper, had come to the batting crease in the final against England in Antigua. Shaikh Rasheed and Nishant Sindhu had both hit fifties. In the 48th over, India needed 12 runs off 18 balls. Sindhu notched up his fifty and gave the strike to Dinesh Bana. The wicketkeeper leveled the scores with a whipped six over long leg to level the scores. In the very next ball bowled by James Sales, Dinesh Bana lofted a full toss over long-on to create history.
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India had won the ICC Under-19 World Cup for a record fifth time. But, it was the dramatic finish by Dinesh Bana that made social media go into overdrive. Many people felt that the reincarnation of MS Dhoni had arrived. In a way, Dinesh Bana had replicated MS Dhoni in a lot of ways. His six and Dhoni’s six helped India win major ICC events. Finishing the game with two consecutive sixes is similar to how MS Dhoni won the match against Punjab Kings in IPL 2016.
Dinesh Bana hails from Hisar in Haryana. They stay in Sector 14 in the city. His father, Mahabir Singh, had noticed his son’s passion for cricket at the age of four. The trigger for the passion was MS Dhoni. He had watched the six that helped India win the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. It was this feat that led Dinesh Bana to play cricket.
Dinesh Bana’s mother Darshana Devi once recalled to Amar Ujala an incident that showed his passion. Dinesh had been training at Sophia Sports Academy from a young age under the guidance of Ranvir Singh. When he returned from practice late in the evening at 8 PM, Dinesh informed his mother that he had to go to Sirsa to play a local tournament early in the morning the next day. His mother refused as she was tired. Seeing the situation, Dinesh Bana washed his own clothes in the washing machine and ensured that it was dry by the morning. This incident gave a glimpse of the immense passion that Dinesh Bana had on his cricket.
In a way, it was redemption for Darshana Devi. She had not supported Dinesh Bana in his cricket career and forever stressed on studies. But, Dinesh was adamant that he wanted to pursue a career in cricket. It is this belief in Hisar that laid the foundation for the glory in Antigua on a brilliant Saturday evening in the Windies
