Arguably India's greatest cricket captain and one of the fiercest hitters the game has ever seen, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has called time on his fabulous career. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been a match-winner and the accolades that he has earned as a skipper have been second to none. The 39-year-old is also one of the greatest tacticians in cricket history.
A veteran of 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is for India, Dhoni played many match-winning innings and was often India's crisis man. Onmanorama takes a walk down the memory lane and revisits some of his best knocks in limited-over cricket.
5. India v Sri Lanka, Tri-Nation Series final, Port of Spain, 2013
Chasing a modest 202 for victory, India seemed in total control as they reached 139/3 in the 32nd over. But the dismissal of Rohit Sharma by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath sparked a middle-order collapse that left India reeling at 182/9. Needing 15 from the last over and with just No.11 Ishant Sharma for company, Dhoni delivered. He hit the second ball of the over for six, the next one for a four and then finished off the game in style by hitting the fourth ball for another maximum, triggering high-spirited celebrations in the Indian dressing room.
4. India vs Sri Lanka, Commonwealth Bank Series, Adelaide 2008
The tour of 2008 to Australia was the first tour for Dhoni as the ODI captain. India were chasing a competitive 239 against Sri Lanka at the Adelaide Oval in the tri-series. When the Indian top order folded up for 99/4, the wicketkeeper-batsman came to the middle under immense pressure. Dhoni who had established the reputation of being a hard-hitting batsman, refused to risk his wicket and played the patient game. His unbeaten 50 off 68 balls, whcih didn't include a single boundary spoke volumes about his commitment and resilience. He went on to guide India home and this knock showed the world the other side of Dhoni, who transformed his game in such a short span of time.
3. India vs England, Cuttack ODI, 2017
This was Dhoni’s first international ton after he gave up captaincy in the limited over formats. India were already 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series. The Men in Blue were reeling at 25/3 when Dhoni joined Yuvraj Singh at the crease. The duo shared a match-winning partnership of 256 runs which turned the tide in India's favour. Yuvraj went on to score 150, while Dhoni contributed 134. India managed to score 381/6 and went on to win the match and with it the series by 15 runs.
2. India v Sri Lanka, Jaipur ODI, 2005
Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten 138 helped Sri Lanka post a formidable 298/4 in the third one-dayer after electing to bat. In reply, the early loss of Sachin Tendulkar made the Indian crowd anxious, but all was forgotten when Dhoni was promoted to one down and unleashed a carnage on the Lankan attack. The right-hander was simply unstoppable on his way to an unbeaten 183 from 145 deliveries, smashing 10 sixes and 15 boundaries as the hosts reached the target with more than three overs to spare. It remains the highest score by a wicketkeeper-batsman in ODI history.
1. India v Sri Lanka, 2011 World Cup final, Mumbai
A knock that carried the weight of more than a billion people, Dhoni delivered on the grandest stage of all. India hadn’t won the World Cup for 28 years and the pressure on the hosts was immense in the final. Chasing a target of 275 against Sri Lanka, India had the worst possible start, losing openers Virender Sehwag and Tendulkar with just 31 on the board. But Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli put the Indian innings back on track with an 83-run stand. Once Kohli fell, 'Captain Cool' promoted himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj to negate the threat of off-spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan. The two added 109 for the fourth fourth wicket. After Gambhir's departure Dhoni took India home in the company of Yuvraj. Dhoni hit an iconic six into the stands to remain unbeaten on 91 and end India’s World Cup drought at the Wankhede Stadium.
