MS Dhoni is one name that resonates with almost every cricket fan of this generation as he is the one who redefined the way the game is approached.
One of the greatest captains of the game, Dhoni made his 300th ODI appearance today, equalling a feat only 20 other players have achieved.
We take a look at some of his legendary moments in ODI cricket and figure out what makes him one of the greatest wicket-keeper batsmen of all time:
Initial calm before the storm:
When Dhoni made his debut for the Indian team, he came in to bat against the Bangladeshis with the team 4 down. However, it was anything but a dream debut for the Jharkand batsman, as he was run out for a duck in his first ever innings.
A couple of failures later, the pressure was on him, but he delivered with a scintillating century against the Pakistanis in the next series, the fifth match of his career, with 148 runs in just 133 balls, to mark his legacy as a big hitter. He followed this with a remarkable 183* against the Sri Lankans, to achieve the highest ever score by a wicket-keeper batsman.
“Don’t cut your hair”
In the Pakistani series, Dhoni was superb as he hit a lot of runs against them. During the Lahore ODI, MS Dhoni hit a 46 ball 72* as he guided India to the finish in a tricky chase. This was one of the first signs of Dhoni being a master finisher and he was excellent throughout the match.
During the post-match ceremony, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the leader of Pakistan said that Dhoni must keep his then long locks as it suits him. The quip became popular all over the country and Dhoni was a heartthrob across India.
ODI Captain:
MS Dhoni bought India its first piece of major silverware after a long wait when he led the nation to the ICC World T20 that was held in South Africa. He was made the captain after the big three of Dravid, Sachin and Ganguly decided against playing the tournament.
His captaincy skills were really impressive that the BCCI decided to make him the permanent Indian captain for the ODI squad too. Thus began a long and successful stint for the player, who left his legacy when he resigned from the post in 2016.
First tri-series win in Australia:
India winning a series Down Under was a rarity and Dhoni ensured that we won our first ever tri-series. Playing in a best of three finals, Australia though that they would have it easy thanks to the great line-up of players in their squad. However, Sachin Tendulkar ensured that there would be no victory this time, as he hit two legendary scores of 90 and a century to win India these games.
These victories meant that MS Dhoni became the first ever captain to lead India to a tri-series win in Australia.
The World Cup:
India’s greatest moment in the last three decades came when Dhoni mastered a chase along with Gautam Gambhir in the Final of the ICC World Cup. He played an incredible innings to chase down Sri Lanka’s score and hand India its second World Cup after a long gap of 28 years.
It was the biggest moment in his career and he claimed full responsibility in the Finals, going to show how he loved pressure situations at the highest level.
Champions Trophy victory:
MS Dhoni cemented his legacy as India’s greatest ever captain as India won the Champions Trophy to complete the set of major ICC trophies for him. India played a very competitive tournament, led by Ravindra Jadeja and Shikhar Dhawan’s performances to win the 50-over tourney.
Dhoni’s astute captaincy in the Final meant that India won the rain-shortened match by defending a total of just 130 in 20 overs to win by 5 runs.
A legacy that can never be forgotten:
Dhoni’s incredible statistics and victories for India mean that he holds a legacy that can never ever be replaced. He also led India to the semis of the 2015 World Cup with a relatively young team to prove that he was a born leader who could marshall his troops excellently.
He is also very unselfish and is always ready to help Virat Kohli, his successor wherever possible. Dhoni will go down as a modern great of the game and cricket has been lucky to witness such an incredible talent.
By Rohit Nair
