Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the Indian team to dizzy heights, winning all the three major international trophies - T20 World Cup in 2007, ICC World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. There's no doubt about the tactical acumen of the man; MSD was known for the mental games he played on the field. He was also one of the finest finishers the game has ever seen. As the man from Ranchi has called time on his illustrious career, Onmanorama picks the top 5 moments involving the legend.
1. The 2011 World Cup-winning six
Dhoni was someone who liked to finish things off in style. The Indian fans would never forget the six off Nuwan Kulasekara which helped the Men in Blue regain the World Cup after a gap of 28 years. The 2011 World Cup victory was the high point of Dhoni's career. The skipper promoted himself up the order in the final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and scored an unbeaten 91 to guide India home. Dhoni was also named man-of-the-match for his timely knock.
2. Heroics in the Tri-Nation Series Final
This game would go down as one of the most clinical finishes by MSD. Chasing a modest total of 202, India were staring down the barrel at 182/9 in the 47th over. Dhoni scored two runs in the 48th over and last man Ishant Sharma managed to see off the penultimate over bowled by Angelo Mathews, adding another couple. With 15 needed off the final over, Dhoni delivered yet again. He missed the first ball by Shaminda Eranga, but followed it with a six, four and six to seal the tie for the Men in Blue at Port of Spain with two balls and one wicket remaining.
3. Picking Joginder to bowl the final over
The inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 in 2007 went a long way the Dhoni becoming 'Captain Cool' . The entire world admired his attitude on the field. Who else would have the guts to give the ball to rookie medium-pacer Joginder Sharma for the final over of the summit clash against arch-rivals Pakistan? That too, in a humdinger with the team having only 13 runs to defend with the final-wicket pair of Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Asif at the crease. Dhoni's gamble paid off when Misbah was caught by S Sreesanth as India won by five runs to emerge champions at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
4. Final-ball run out versus Bangladesh
India had 11 runs to defend in the last over when Dhoni gave the ball to rookie Hardik Pandya in a crucial Super 10 tie of the 2016 ICC World T20 against Bangladesh. Mushfiqur Rahim smashed two boundaries off the first three balls to bring down the equation to just two off the last three deliveries at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Who would have thought India was still in the game? Clearly, Dhoni. Rahim and Mahmudullah perished to catches in the outfield off the fourth and fifth deliveries. The tension was rising and Dhoni took a glove off before the last ball – just in case there was a run-out opportunity. Shuvagata Hom missed the ball and Dhoni sprinted to the stumps to prevent a bye and pull off a sensational run out. India won the match by a run and stayed alive in the competition.
5. Delivering at the death versus Australia
Chasing a target of 270, India required 12 runs off the final four balls when Dhoni got the strike back in the CB Series one-dayer against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. Dhoni was happy to be back on strike even as R Ashwin was keen on sprinting back for a couple. Clint McKay missed his mark narrowly and Dhoni hit the ball out of the ground. The shot cleared the largest boundary in Australia by a fair distance. McKay, under pressure, bowled the next ball a beamer and India went on to win the match with two balls to spare.
