Former India skipper MS Dhoni has been put of action for quite some time now. He last played for India in the semi-final of the World up 2019 against New Zealand and hasn’t been a part of the side since then. To add to this, he was also omitted from the list of BCCI contracted players.
But Dhoni’s contribution to Indian cricket is something that can’t be forgotten. From winning three ICC trophies as a skipper to creating one of the best fielding units in the world, he has seen and done it all. Here are a few decisions that made Dhoni a legendary captain.
Handing the final over to Joginder Sharma in World T20 final vs Pakistan
Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had one over left in his quota as Pakistan needed 13 off the last over to lift the inaugural World T20. Misbah-ul-Haq was looking in good form and was expected to take Pakistan over the line. But MS Dhoni’s decision changed the course of the match. He handed the ball to Joginder Sharma. Sharma gave away 7 runs in the first three balls but then scalped the final wicket of Misbah to win the match and cup for India.
Promoting himself at 5 in the 2011 World Cup final
India were chasing 275 in the final of the World Cup 2011 in Mumbai. The hosts had already lost Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag early in the innings while Dilshan broke a steady stand between Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli after grabbing a one-handed stunner of his own bowling to send Kohli packing. Yuvraj Singh who had been in top form throughout the World Cup except for a rare failure in the semi-final against Pakistan was slated to come in at number 5 but Dhoni promoted himself up the order and came in ahead of Yuvraj. It was a shocking decision for many as the skipper hadn’t really scored runs in the tournament. But what came next was just brilliant. Dhoni’s concentration was unshakable as he notched up 91* to give India its second World Cup.
Rohit Sharma as an opener
Rohit Sharma has always been considered as a natural talent by the pundits but his inconsistency in his early days gave him a lot of disappointment. He was in fact not picked for the World Cup 2011 squad that India won. But then came in Dhoni’s another wise decision during the Champions Trophy 2013. He asked Rohit to open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan and the rest was history. The left-right duo became one of the most lethal opening pairs in world cricket and etched a number of records during the course. In fact, all the three double tons from Rohit came while he opened the innings. He now holds the record for the most double hundreds in ODI cricket which is three and has hit the highest individual score (264) in the format.
