5 Times Team India scripted memorable wins from the brink of defeat

4. Shrewd Dhoni outthinks England to script a come-from-behind win 

Occasion: ICC Champions Trophy final, 2013; India won by 5 runs

Another one of those games where India looked to be dead and buried for the longest time before MS Dhoni conjured up some magic to script a turnaround for the ages. It was the final of the 2013 Champions Trophy played in a 20-over-a-side affair after the rain had threatened to turn the entire affair into a damp squib for almost 7 hours.

When the game finally got underway, India found themselves in a lot of trouble with their top-order falling in a heap to Ravi Bopara [3-20] and James Anderson [1-24]. At 5-66, India needed someone to get them to a competitive total and they found that someone in the form of Virat Kohli [43 off 34 balls] and Ravindra Jadeja, who scored a whirlwind 25-ball 33 to take the total to 7-129 after 20 overs.

India needed early wickets to have any chance of defending a total of 129. But, even though they reduced England to 4-46 in 8.4 overs, Eoin Morgan [33] and Ravi Bopara [30] managed to break free. The duo accumulated 64 runs for the fifth wicket and by the time Morgan was tonking Ishant for nonchalant sixes, the equation had already been reduced to 20 off just 16 deliveries.

But, as they say, it ain’t over under its over. And, MS Dhoni certainly didn’t think so that it was over. He took the punt of asking Ishant to bowl the slow bouncer and placed the fielder at short square-leg. Incredibly, both Morgan and Bopara took the bait and failed miserably as on both occasions Ravi Ashwin claimed the catch at the same position for precisely that attempted pull.

All of sudden, England were reduced to 6-110. The pressure got to the hosts and it was testified in the very next over when Buttler’s stumps were completely bamboozled by Jadeja and to top it all, Tim Bresnan ran himself out in a comical manner.

With five required off the last ball, England needed James Tradewell to do a Javed Miandad to India. But, he didn’t as he missed the ball by a mile and so did Dhoni, but he was too excited and pumped to care about it. It was jail-break of epic proportions; one that paved way for yet another triumph for MS Dhoni- the leader and heartbreak for England.