Hyderabad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a phenomenon that took the Indian cricket team to new heights. Dhoni has played for India for over 15 years. In the history of ODI cricket, he is one of the best finishers and the best of contemporary cricket. He held the No. 1 batting position for many years. He was known for his ability to snatch matches from the jaws of defeat. As he celebrates his 39th birthday on July 7, ETV Bharat selects six of his nail-biting finishes in ODI cricket.
54 not out vs KXIP, IPL 2010
In 2010 IPL, with CSK's qualification to playoff stage at stake against KXIP, Irfan Pathan came to bowl to MS Dhoni and Albie Morkel. CSK required 16 runs off 6 balls.
Dhoni sent the first ball through the cover for a boundary. A misfield by a sluggish Piyush Chawla at long-on meant that MS Dhoni was back to the striking end. Irfan Pathan got rattled under pressure and bowled two juicy deliveries that MSD whacked over the long-on boundary to take his team to the semifinals for the third successive times.
The moment after that six was astounding as Dhoni punched himself in the face in a rare display of emotion as Morkel and the rest of the players joined him to the celebration.
It remains one of the most remarkable IPL moments of all time.
148 vs Pakistan, 2005
After failing in his first four ODI innings, the first glimpse of Dhoni's brutal ability to play blitzkrieg innings came against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam. He scored 148 runs off just 123 balls with the help of 15 fours and 4 sixes. Riding on Dhoni's explosive innings, India scored 356 for 9 in 50 overs. India defeated Pakistan by 58 runs.
183 not out vs Sri Lanka, 2005
A bold looking boy in his 20s emerged into the scene of Indian cricket in 2004. There was a lot of buzz around him. It came to foray of cricket fans that he is a gutsy batsman. After his 148 against Pakistan, the expectation was high on him and he soaked it up to play yet another brilliant knock against Sri Lanka in Jaipur in 2005. Sri Lanka set a target of 299. India lost Sachin Tendulkar in the first over. Dhoni walked out to bat at No. 3 with a huge task in hands. What followed was utter carnage. Sri Lankan bowlers, who burst into joy after Tendulkar's dismissal, soon saw a 23-year-old batsman with long locks hitting big sixes. Legend Chaminda Vaas was first to get a taste of Dhoni's brute power. One by one Sri Lankan pacers and spinners got battered by his powerful sweep and drive. In a sparkling innings, Dhoni hit 15 fours and 11 sixes to take India home with almost four overs to spare.
Dhoni remained unbeaten in the match with 183 off 145 balls. The next highest score in Indian innings was a mere 39. Dhoni with two successive massacring innings against two Asian cricketing giants announced his arrival in international cricket.
139 not out vs Africa XI, 2007
Playing for Asia XI in 2007, Dhoni had made the African bowlers sweat smashing 139 runs off 97 balls. During this innings, Dhoni hit 15 fours and five sixes. Asia XI set a target of 332 runs in 50 overs. Africa could score 318 for 7 and lost the match by 13 runs.
91 not out vs Sri Lanka, 2011
In the 2011 World Cup final at Wankhede stadium, India and Sri Lanka faced each other. Batting first, Sri Lanka had set 275 runs target for India. Early dismissals of Sachin and Sehwag put immense pressure on India. Gautam Gambhir's fighting 97 runs knock helped India make a comeback in the match. When Gambhir got dismissed the battle was half won, and Dhoni with his quintessential batting style hit 91 off 79 balls with the help of eight boundaries and two sixes to help India win the World Cup after 28 years. Dhoni's six over the long-on boundary off Nuwan Kulasekara is one of the most remarkable scenes of Indian cricket.
44 not out vs Australia, 2012
In a 270-run steep run chase against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, India got reduced to 178 for 4 despite Gautam Gambhir giving them a good start. Dhoni and Suresh Raina walked out to the field to complete the job. By this time, Dhoni became famous for his match finishing skills. While Raina looked fluent Dhoni continued to struggle. He was running for singles. Big shots were not coming from his bat. As India came closer, mounting pressure saw Raina and Jadeja getting dismissed in quick succession with 13 required off the last over. Ravichandran Ashwin took the strike to Clint McKay. Ashwin managed to give Dhoni a single off the second ball, which left India to get 12 off four balls. McKay bowled a length ball and Dhoni smashed it with all his might to send it as long as he could. With six needed off three balls, Dhoni knocked them out of the game with two balls to spare, thanks to a no-ball.
