Top 5 ODI knocks by MS Dhoni as captain

Top 5 ODI knocks by MS Dhoni as captain: Dhoni has been India’s greatest finisher and their best captain. Over the years, when there is a task at hand, Dhoni tirelessly has done the hard work to get his team over the line, let us look at a few Dhoni heroics, where he has come into his own both as a skipper and a batsman. Here are the Top 5 ODI knocks by MS Dhoni as captain: 5. 50*v Sri Lanka at Adelaide, Commonwealth Bank Series, 2008: (source) The tour of 2008 to Australia was the first tour for Dhoni the ODI captain. There had been lot of talks about his form and his choice to drop Dravid and Ganguly for the tour. It was about time he put a good show and silences those critics. India were chasing a competitive 239 against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval. The Indian top order had folded at 99-4; Dhoni came to the middle with immense pressure. Lots of overs were left, not too many wickets. A lot was expected of him and he played one of his most uncharacteristic knocks. Dhoni who had established the reputation of being a hard hitting batsman, refused to risk his wicket and play the patient game and only score through 1s and 2s. His 50 off 68 balls which didn’t include a single boundary speaks volumes about his commitment and resilience. He went on to guide India home. This knock showed the world the other side of Dhoni, who transformed his game in such a short span of time. 4. 113*v Pakistan at Chennai, Pakistan in India ODI Series, 2012: (source) This was India’s 1st ODI after the great man, Sachin Tendulkar had retired from ODIs, and the fact that this was against arch rivals Pakistan only added pressure on the top order that failed miserably to crumble to 29-5. Dhoni walked in, hoping to save his team from embarrassment. He showed a lot of character while trying to get his team to a respectable score, a score that his bowlers could defend. Dhoni had ample of time, and he utilized it well. He played with patience and went on to score one of his finest centuries in ODIs as he led India to 227 from 29-5. Even though India couldn’t get the desired result, Dhoni’s efforts in this game will be remembered for a long time. 3. 45* v Sri Lanka at Port-of-Spain, Tri Nation Final, 2013: (source) In today’s age, you will hardly ever see a chase of 201 going on till the 50th over. It all looked well for India chasing Sri Lank’s 201, at 139-3. But a mini collapse left them reeling at 152-7. With Dhoni the only recognized batsman, all eyes were on him. He tried all he could to take the game until the last over as he was losing partners at regular intervals. Dhoni had toiled his way to 29 off 48 balls as India needed 15 off the last over with only one wicket remaining. Last overs are Dhoni specials, and this was another one of those. A couple of sixes and a four off an inexperienced Shaminda Eranga meant that India won the series and was also another testimony to the fact that Dhoni is indeed India’s greatest finisher, especially with his ability to bat with the tail in pressure situations without feeling it. 2. 92* v South Africa at Indore, Freedom Series, 2015: (Photo Source: BCCI) India had been out of sorts in the T20I and had lost a close game in the 1st ODI. Both Dhoni the captain and Dhoni the batsman were under immense pressure. Dhoni was largely blamed for the not being able to finish off the chase in the 1st ODI. He had to come out there and just silence those naysayers one more time. As Indian top order failed one more time, it was Dhoni again to the rescue. At 104-5, Dhoni had a task at hand, to save India’s blushes. He just stuck it out there and spent much needed time in the middle. This was the Dhoni of old, the guy many were missing. His batting with the tail was brilliant; knowing how to use minimum resources (wickets) to extract maximum returns (runs). Later on he picked up the scoring rate and went on to score a blistering 92 off 86 balls that inspired the Indian bowlers to put on a show. Dhoni led India to yet another victory and once again silenced his critics and Ajit Agarkar. 1. 91* v Sri Lanka at Mumbai, 2011 World Cup final: MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: AFP) 2011 World Cup final, it couldn’t have been a bigger stage than that. At the back of a century from Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka posted a competitive total of 274. In a big final even 275 looks like a huge task considering the nerves involved. Sachin-Sehwag departed early and Kohli got out after scoring getting a start at 35. Everyone expected Yuvraj Singh to walk in; he after all was India’s best player in the World Cup. Dhoni though, had a plan of his own as he promoted himself at No.5. He had a below average World Cup with his highest score being a meagre 34 against Ireland until that point, but Dhoni isn’t called the man of the big occasions for nothing. He played delightful looking shots, slowly but surely batting Sri Lanka out of the game and not giving them any chance to stake a comeback into the game. Dhoni along with Gambhir took India to safety. When Gambhir departed for a well-crafted 97, India required 52 runs off 52 balls, quite doable when you have Yuvraj and Dhoni at the crease. An Indian win looked inevitable when they required 5 from 2 overs. Yuvraj took a single and gave it to Dhoni, who on the next ball scored the most memorable six in for an Indian cricket fan as he won the World Cup for the cricket crazy nation that India is. His captaincy and batting that day was spot on. He deservedly won the Man of the Match award and in the form of a six over Nuwan Kulasekara’s head has given me a memory that most Indians will carry with them to the grave.

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Top 5 ODI knocks by MS Dhoni as captain

**4. 113*v Pakistan at Chennai, Pakistan in India ODI Series, 2012:**

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