Happy Birthday MS Dhoni: A look at his best batting performances in India Jersey – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

While we talk about the greatest individuals in Indian cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni undoubtedly occupies the first row. After starting off his international career with zero, twelve, seven and three, one could hardly imagine him becoming one of the greatest finishers of all time. The rise of India’s most successful captain is an extraordinary tale of rebellion, merit, perseverance, and, most of all, belief.

Still, when we turn the pages of the history book, Ravi Shastri’s voice to mark Dhoni’s final six on the final night of the 2011 ICC World Cup can be seen as the glittering chapter. During his 15-year-long cricketing journey, the Ranchi-born cricketer has played 350 One Day Internationals, 90 Tests and 98 T20 International in the Indian outfit and scored 10,773, 4876 and 1617 runs respectively. Among his numerous feats, the ICC tournaments were his favourite ones as winning each of the major ICC events – World T20, Champions Trophy and World Cup, as a skipper, may remain unbreakable for years.

The exceptional leader, dynamic wicketkeeper and astonishing batter, Dhoni has provided a lot of match-winning performances during his decorated career. Today, on his 41st birthday, let’s take a look at the best batting displays of India most successful captain:

148 against Pakistan at Visakhapatnam in 2005: The long-hair guy introduced himself on the International stage in a crucial fixture against India’s arch-rival Pakistan. Coming in at no. 3, the young wicketkeeper-batter whacked a blistering 148 in 123 deliveries and helped India put up 356 runs on the board. The commendable knock which was laced with 15 boundaries and 4 maximums, guided India to a 58-run victory.

183 against Sri Lanka at Jaipur in 2005: During the third game of the seven-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, Dhoni recorded his highest-ever ODI score while being on a 299-run chase. After Sachin Tendulkar’s early departure, Dhoni came in one-down and ripped through the islanders’ bowling attack with an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls including 15 boundaries and 10 maximums. The blazing knock took the Indian side to the victory lap with 23 balls left to spare.

224 vs Australia at Chennai in 2013: While facing the mighty Aussies on home soil, Dhoni marked his name as India’s most successful captain by whitewashing the visitors in the four-match Test series. In the opening game, the skipper shone with the bat and hammered the Mitchell Starc-led bowling attack with a 224-run knock at a strike rate of 84.53. The knock helped India clinch a comfortable victory by 8 wickets.

91 vs Sri Lanka at Wankhede in 2011: This innings was not about the number but more about the situation. On the final night of the World Cup clash against Sri Lanka, Dhoni again proved himself to be ‘Captain Cool’. While the side was fumbling at the early stage, he joined hands with Gautam Gambhir and went on clinching the title with the iconic hit into the crowd. He smashed an unbeaten 91 runs in 79 deliveries and guided the Men in Blue to lift the World Cup trophy after 28 years.

56 against England at Bangalore in 2017: The maiden T20 half-century came from Dhoni during the third T20 International against England in 2017. The T20 World Cup-winning skipper ended his long wait for a fifty-plus score in the shortest format of the game with a 36-ball 56 which helped the side to reach a mammoth 202-run total in 20 overs. The innings included 5 fours and 2 sixes and India bagged a massive 75-run victory.

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