MS Dhoni’s five most memorable innings in international cricket

Sport360 staff 02:13 07/07/2017
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  • MS Dhoni hitting the winning runs in the 2011 World Cup final.

    MS Dhoni, one of the iconic stars of his generation, is still going strong for India and turns 36.

    While it is hard to pick out only five innings from what has been a memorable career, we’ve done exactly that and had a go at selecting the wicket-keeper batsman’s best knocks.

    Which one was your favourite?

    Get in touch on Twitter and via Facebook with your thoughts.

    148 vs PAKISTAN, ODI, 2005

    This was the knock that made Dhoni a household name in the game of cricket. Before this match, the wicketkeeper-batsman had played four ODI innings batting at number seven without much success.

    In the second ODI of a series against arch-rivals Pakistan in April 2005, Dhoni was pushed up the order to bat at number three and it proved to be a great move.

    It started with Virender Sehwag and Dhoni putting together a partnership of 96 from just 62 deliveries which set the platform for a big score. After Sehwag’s dismissal, Dhoni did not slow down as he went on to bring up his first century in international cricket.

    Supported well by Rahul Dravid who notched up a half-century, Dhoni scored 148 from just 123 balls in a knock that saw the future Indian skipper hit 15 fours and four sixes.

    A star was born.

    183* vs SRI LANKA, ODI, 2005

    After a few matches where he batted at number three, Dhoni once again found himself in the lower middle-order until the third ODI of a series against Sri Lanka later in the same year.

    DHONI'S ODI STATS

    • Matches: 296
    • Runs: -
    • Average: -
    • Centuries: 10?

    In pursuit of 299, Dhoni was promoted up the order as the Indians needed to keep up with a stiff asking rate. The move worked like a treat once again as the then 24-year-old played one of the great ODI knocks.

    He blasted his way to an unbeaten 183 from 145 deliveries, hitting 15 fours and 10 sixes, and almost single-handedly guided India to victory with 23 balls to spare. The second highest score by an Indian batsman in the match was 39 from Sehwag.

    This, to date, remains Dhoni’s highest score in ODI cricket.

    76* vs ENGLAND, TEST, 2007

    Dhoni might not have scored a century outside the sub-continent in his Test career, but one of his most important innings in the format came against England at Lord’s in 2007.

    In the first Test of a three-match series, India were under a lot of pressure when Dhoni came into bat with the score reading 145-5 after being set a target of 380.

    Dhoni and VVS Laxman joined hands to form a fruitful partnership, but when the stand was broken for 86 runs, India looked to be on course for a defeat as a lot of cricket was still to be played.

    The Ranchi-born cricketer put up a defiant show and despite wickets falling at the other end, he fought hard out in the middle. His efforts were rewarded as bad light and rain meant that the match ended in a draw with England just one wicket away from victory.

    Dhoni’s unbeaten 76, which included 10 boundaries, ended up being ever so vital as India went on to win the series 1-0 – their first Test series victory in England in 21 years.

    MS Dhoni during his knock at Lord's in 2007.

    MS Dhoni during his knock at Lord’s in 2007.

    91* vs SRI LANKA, ODI, 2011

    If there was a poll to pick the best knock of Dhoni’s career so far, most people are likely to select this one. And that won’t be a surprise at all as the then Indian captain delivered a Player of the Match performance in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup.

    Chasing 275 to win, India were reduced to 31-2 after openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar were dismissed by Lasith Malinga. Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli then joined hands and put on an 83-run partnership which brought the hosts back into the contest.

    The job was far from done though, and when Kohli was dismissed with 161 runs still required, Sri Lanka looked to be on top. That was when Dhoni came out to bat at number five, which was a little surprising at the time as Yuvraj Singh usually batted at that position and the Punjab cricketer was also in good form.

    The decision turned out to be a masterstroke as Dhoni and Gambhir put on a century-stand which put India firmly in the driver’s seat. While Gambhir was dismissed three runs short of what would have been a fabulous hundred, Dhoni stayed on until the end – scoring an unbeaten 91 from just 79 balls.

    The winning shot – a six over mid-on is etched in the memory of every Indian cricket fan as they won the 50-over World Cup for the first time in 28 years.

    224 vs AUSTRALIA, TEST, 2013

    After the Indian team had lost a Test series at home to England (their first Test series loss at home in over eight years), as captain, Dhoni came into the India vs Australia Test series in 2013 under a lot of pressure.

    DHONI'S TEST STATS

    • Matches: 90
    • Runs: 4876
    • Average: 38.09
    • Centuries: 6

    In the first Test at Chennai, the Aussies batted first and put up a total of 380 on the board thanks to a century from captain Michael Clarke. In reply, following the dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar for 81, India found themselves on 196-4 when Dhoni came out to bat.

    Dhoni and Kohli went on to put up a 128-run stand which put the pressure back on the visitors. But when Kohli was dismissed for 107 with the score reading 324-5, there was still work to be done.

    The Indians managed to gain a first innings lead, but when they were 406-8, the match was still in the balance. That was when Dhoni took the attack to the Australian bowling as he scored 103 of the runs in a partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar that yielded 140.

    In the end, Dhoni scored 224 from just 265 deliveries, hitting 24 fours and six sixes in his innings with India getting bowled out for 572.

    India would go on to win the match by eight wickets and the series 4-0.

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