Best ODI XI to play under the leadership of MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, commonly known as MS Dhoni, is inarguably one of the best captains to ever have captained the Indian cricket team. Dhoni has certainly played a key role in changing the shape of Indian cricket. He has achieved unprecedented success as a captain for his country and his franchise side. The right-hander is the only leader in the cricket world to have won all the three ICC trophies (2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy).

Dhoni is also regarded as one of the best finishers to embrace the modern game of cricket. He made his debut in 2004 under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. The 38-year-old has scored more than 16,000 international runs in his career. In the 350 ODIs, 98 T20s and 90 Tests of his career, Dhoni has scored 10773, 1617, and 4876 runs respectively.

Mahi led the Indian team from 2007 to 2016 in ODIs and T20s and from 2008 to 2014 in the longest format of the game. He has captained the team in as many as 331 matches (60 Tests, 199 ODIs and 72 T20Is). He also holds the record of winning the most number of matches for Team India in all the three formats of the game.

Some great cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid played under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. He also backed a lot of budding cricketers during his tenure as a captain who later went on to become the legends of the game.

Modern-day cricketers like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Mohammad Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav and many more made their debut under the captaincy of the Ranchi stalwart.

Let’s take a look at the best ODI XI played under the leadership of MS Dhoni:

1. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma has proved to be one of the finest opening batsmen in the world right now. He has established himself as an ODI batsman owing to his brilliant batting skills. He is the first player in ODI history to score three double hundreds. Also, Rohit holds the record of the highest individual score of 264 against Sri Lanka in 2014.

Rohit made his international debut under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid in 2007. He started his career as a middle-order batsman. However, his life changed after his promotion as an opening batsman under Mahi. Rohit played about 150 ODI matches under the leadership of Dhoni.

Having played 224 ODI matches in his career until now, Rohit has scored 9,115 runs at an average of 49.3. He also emerged as a star for the Indian team in World Cup 2019. He piled on 648 runs in 9 innings including five centuries. The 31-year-old is also the first Indian batsman to achieve a feat of 400 international sixes.

2. Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag is widely regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen of all time. He played as an aggressive right-hand opening batsman and part-time right-arm off-spinner. Sehwag built his extraordinary career by his unorthodox approach towards the game. The batsman was majorly known for hitting boundaries.

Sehwag has been India’s one of the prominent openers for nearly 10 years. He also played a major role in the 2011 World Cup. The batsman is listed as one of the few Indian cricketers who have excelled in all the three formats of the game. Sehwag played his last ODI match against Pakistan on January 3, 2013.

The 41-year-old made his ODI debut for India in 1999. In 251 ODI matches played by Sehwag, he scored 8, 273 runs at an average of 35 and strike rate of 104.3. Sehwag has 15 centuries and 38 half-centuries in ODIs under his cap. He also has hit 1,132 fours and 136 sixes in his international career.

3. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is only second to Sachin Tendulkar in terms of success as a batsman in the ODIs. Kohli is the successor of MS Dhoni as the captain of the Indian cricket team. The right-hander is regarded as one of the most prolific batsmen of the modern-day cricket. He is ranked as No.1 ODI batsman in the ICC rankings.

Kohli made his international ODI debut under the captaincy of MS Dhoni in 2008 against Sri Lanka. He played 176 ODI matches in the leadership of Dhoni, scoring 7570 runs. Kohli is the only cricketer to have averaged over 50 in all the three formats of the game. He is widely recognized as the ‘Chase Master’ due to his finishing skills.

In 248 matches played so far, Kohli has scored 11876 runs at an average of 59.3 and a strike rate of 93.2. The 31-year-old also has 43 centuries and 58 half-centuries in One-day Internationals. He is on his way to becoming the most successful ODI batsman of all times. No ODI XI can never be complete without the inclusion of Kohli.

4. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh is one of the best all-rounders to have ever played for the Indian team. He used to bat left-handed in the middle-order along with bowling slow left-arm orthodox. The cricketer played an important role in India’s victory in both 2011 World Cup and 2007 T20 World Cup. Yuvraj has been effortless and brutal in his career as a limited-overs batsman.

The 38-year-old made his ODI debut for India in 2000 against Kenya under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. Yuvraj played a key role as a batsman and bowler during Dhoni’s captaincy. He played 121 matches under Dhoni, scoring 3592 runs.

In his cricketing career, Yuvraj featured in 304 ODI matches securing 8,701 runs at an average of 36.5. He maintained a strike rate of 87.7 as a middle-order batsman. Yuvi also scored 14 centuries and 52 half-centuries in his ODI career. The left-hander is known to form great partnerships to steer India to the victory.

5. Suresh Raina

Just like Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina is another all-rounder to brace this list. He is known as an aggressive left-handed middle-order batsman and an occasional off-spin bowler. He is also widely regarded as one of the best fielders in international cricket. Raina has played an important role for the Indian cricket team in the lower middle-order.

He made his ODI debut for India in 2005 against Sri Lanka under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. However, the cricketer rose to fame under the likes of Dhoni. The left-hander had played 187 matches for Dhoni scoring 4956 runs. Raina was a permanent member of Dhoni’s playing XI. The duo also shared the dressing room while donning the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) jersey in the IPL.

The 33-year-old represented India in 226 ODI matches scoring 5615 runs at an average of 35.3. He is often known for his capabilities of playing winning knocks or cameos for the Indian team. However, Raina is absent from India’s playing XI for the past few years due to a decline in his performance. He played his last ODI in 2018 and is still waiting for another chance to prove his capabilities.

6. MS Dhoni

MS Dhoni is one of the most successful Indian captains. He led India to victory in 2011 owing to his exceptional captaincy skills. His match-winning six against Sri Lanka in 2011 finals is still considered as one of the most historic moments of the Indian cricket. India won 110 matches out of 199 ODI matches played under MS Dhoni.

Dhoni made his international debut in 2004 against Bangladesh. In 2004, the Indian team was led by Sourav Ganguly and Dhoni eventually paved his way to becoming one of the best finishers to have embraced the game of cricket. The young boy from Ranchi rose to fame after winning maiden inaugural 2007 T20 World Cup for India.

Playing 350 ODI matches, he has scored 10, 773 runs at an average of 50.6 and strike rate of 87.6. Dhoni also holds the records of the most dismissals in an innings (6) and career (432) by an Indian wicketkeeper. The 38-year-old played his last match for India during 2019 World Cup against New Zealand but fans are still eagerly waiting for his comeback in international cricket.

7. Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is an Indian all-rounder who plays as a left-handed middle-order batsman and slow left-arm orthodox bowler. Apart from batting and bowling, Jadeja is widely recognized for his exceptional fielding skills. He was one of the most trusted men of Dhoni.

Jadeja made his international debut in 2009 under Dhoni against Sri Lanka. The lower-order batsman played 126 matches under Dhoni, scoring 1849 runs and taking 147 wickets. He also topped the ICC’s table in ODI bowling rankings in 2013. Jadeja was the second Indian to do so after Anil Kumble.

Till now, Ravindra Jadeja has managed to be in playing XI of 165 ODI matches for India. In 165 matches, he has scored 2,296 wickets along with 187 scalps. For his fielding skills, he is often compared with legend Jonty Rhodes. After Dhoni, Jadeja is also current Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s go-to spinner.

8. Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin is one of the best spinners India has ever produced. The Chennai-born excelled for MS Dhoni with his off-spin bowling skills. Apart for bowling, Ashwin has made notable contributions with the bat too. Many times he has played a batting cameo for the Indian cricket team, taking it to victory.

The right-arm off-break bowler made his international ODI debut for India in 2010. He has played under the likes of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. Ashwin first shined in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a player of Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Based on his performance in IPL, he got a chance to express himself in international cricket.

Ashwin has represented India in 111 ODI matches taking 150 scalps at an economy of 4.91. He also made a contribution of 675 runs with the bat. The all-rounder played his last ODI match for India in 2017. At present, he only represents India in the longest format of the game only.

9. Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan is regarded as the ‘Sachin Tendulkar of bowling’ in India. The left-arm pacer is widely recognized for his brilliant pace attack. He has led the Indian pace attack for more than a decade and was instrumental in the team’s success.

Zaheer made his ODI debut under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. He played his first ODI match at the age of 22 years against Kenya in 2000. He made a notable contribution in India’s win in 2011 World Cup through his phenomenal bowling and was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 21 wickets.

In an illustrious career spanning over 92 Tests, 200 ODIs and 17 T20Is, Zaheer scalped over 600 international wickets. He was a rock-solid pillar of the Indian bowling force during the course of his playing career.

10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the right-arm pacer is well-known for his ability to swing the ball both ways. He is widely recognized for dismissing Sachin Tendulkar for his first First-class duck in the Indian domestic cricket. Bhuvneshwar had played just 11 first-class games when he achieved this feat.

The 30-year-old made his international debut for India in 2012 against Pakistan. He is also one of the stars to have debuted under the leadership of MS Dhoni. Bhuvneshwar has proved to be a consistent wicket-taker in One-day Internationals. Though the cricketer often had to miss playing for the Indian team owing to his injuries.

Bhuvneshwar has represented India in 114 ODI matches till now taking 132 scalps. He has maintained an economy of 5.02 this far in the ODIs. The pacer also has 4 four-wicket hauls and 1 five-wicket haul under his cap. He also scored 526 runs including one half-century in this format of the sport.

11. Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami is a right-arm pace bowler. The thing which makes him stand out is the speed with which he swings and seams the ball. He consistently bowls around the 140 to 150 km/hr mark and he is widely appreciated for his skill of moving both the new and the old bowl with accuracy.

Shami made his ODI debut for India in 2013 against Pakistan. He holds the record of being the first Indian bowler to bowl four or more maiden overs in his ODI debut. Shami’s bowling figures in his first ODI match for India were magical: 9-4-23-1.

Until now, Shami has represented India in 77 One-day Internationals, taking 144 wickets at an economy of 5.58. The pacer also has 9 four-wicket hauls and 1 five-wicket haul on his name. Shami emerged as India’s leading fast bowler in the 2015 World Cup, playing an instrumental role in steering the Men in Blue to the semi-finals.

~ Written by Sakshi Jain