Many cricket fans across the world were taken by a surprise when MS Dhoni walked out to bat at no. 5 ahead of Yuvraj Singh, who was in brilliant form, in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Dhoni has taken many brave calls in his career but this one stands out. He was not in good form before the final and out of nowhere he came to bat ahead of Yuvraj Singh, who was given the best player of the tournament award later. Yuvraj Singh was India’s standout performer in the tournament with both bat and ball.
In Dhoni’s biopic there is a scene when MS Dhoni explains why he went out to bat ahead of Yuvraj Singh in the all important ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final.
“MS Dhoni: Excuse me, Gary. If a wicket goes down, I think I should go in.
Gary Kirsten: But, Yuvi is padded up and ready.
NS Dhoni: No, it is Murali, I think I should go.
Gary Kirsten: You sure?
MS Dhoni: Just, tell him (Yuvraj), I will go.”
MS Dhoni took this brave call because Muralitharan was bowling and it’s difficult for a left-hander when the ball spins away from him. It was a tactical move that Dhoni made, backing himself, to counter Murali.
This is what India’s conditioning coach during ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, Pady Upton said:
“Dhoni’s choice to go ahead of Yuvi was nothing short of a masterstroke. An excellent example of his gut-feel for the game.
“Yuvi [Yuvraj] had delivered so many great performances. He possibly had used up a lot of his mental energy, and his energy tanks were near empty. Dhoni’s were still pretty full, and he is possibly the best in the world game for taking on the high pressure to close a critical game for his team,” he added.
“When he walked out to bat, I turned to Gary Kirsten and said, “He’s going to go and fetch the World Cup for us,” he concluded.
