The birthday boy MS Dhoni, who turned 40 on Wednesday, has played some great knocks in his elaborate career, here's a look at some of the best.
India's most successful captain, the only captain to win three ICC trophies and one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen to ever play the game, Mahendra Singh Dhoni celebrates his 40th birthday on Wednesday, July 7. Dhoni, who retired from international cricket last year on India's independence day, turned 40.
The former Indian skipper may have hung his boot from international cricket, he is still going strong in the shortest format of the game in the Indian Premier League (IPL) leading from the front of the Chennai Super Kings.
In his 16-year old international career, Dhoni has played several match-winning, match-saving knocks and sometimes great innings ending up in a losing cause. Regarded as the best finisher of his time, Dhoni has won the game for India many times from positions where at one point the win seemed improbable.
On his birthday, let's take a look at some of his best, underrated knocks that played an important role in India winning the match:
1. MS Dhoni's 91*(79) in 2011 World Cup final
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Chasing 275, India were 31/2 and 114/3 against a fantastic Sri Lankan bowling attack and in walks captain MS Dhoni, who was going through a rough patch in the whole World Cup scoring just 150 runs in seven games, ahead of the eventual Man of the Tournament Yuvraj Singh, who was scoring runs for fun and taking wickets left, right and centre, every game.
To tackle the off-spin of Muttiah Muralitharan, Dhoni went ahead of Yuvraj since there was already a left-handed batsman in Gautam Gambhir in the middle. Once he got a boundary towards the covers off Muralitharan, he was up and away. He played a measured knock and kept the scorecard ticking. If Gambhir was stuck, Dhoni would release the pressure by hitting a boundary and vice-versa.
But the moment of the innings came when he hit a fabulous six off Thisara Perera over backward point, after which it was Dhoni's show. Dhoni didn't look in any discomfort and eased his way to the final few moments before he hit the final six over long-on to help India win the World Cup after 28 years. Dhoni remained unbeaten on 91 off 79 balls hitting eight boundaries and two sixes.
2. MS Dhoni's maiden double century in Test cricket against Australia
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Trailing Australia by 380 runs, India needed to have a great start against a formidable Australian team in the first Test of the 2012/13 home series. Unfortunately, the home side had lost both their openers Murali Vijay and Virender Sehwag by the team's score reached 12.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Sachin Tendulkar stitched a 93-run partnership and kept the Australian bowlers at bay before James Pattinson broke the partnership and got his third wicket. Then, the Master Blaster got an able ally in Virat Kohli and both took Team India to safer shores. Tendulkar brought up his fifty and India had got past 180 and save the follow-on. However, soon after Nathan Lyon got into the act and dismissed Tendulkar for 81 and India were 196/4.
In came skipper MS Dhoni. Dhoni found able partners in Virat Kohli and debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar and he made the Australians pay. Once he got his eyes in, he just became unstoppable, a 128-run partnership with Kohli first and a 140-run with Bhuvi. After the two partnerships, the wickets kept falling, but Dhoni didn't stop and brought up his maiden double century, a first for an Indian wicket-keeper batsman in Test matches.
In his 265-ball knock, Dhoni smashed 24 fours and six sixes and helped his side gain a substantial 192-run lead in the first innings. India went on to win the game by 8 wickets in the fourth innings.
3. MS Dhoni's 44* against Australia in 4th match of 2011/12 CB Series
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India had a fabulous start owing to Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir chasing 270 runs against Australia in the fourth match of the Commonwealth Bank ODI series. Gambhir kept going at the other end despite losing both Sehwag and Virat Kohli at the other end for scores of 20 and 18 respectively.
However, these were enough contributions for India to just coast along towards the target. Rohit Sharma coming in at No 4 played a handy knock of 33 runs, while Gambhir was just smashing away towards his century. However, he fell 8 runs short of the century and India still needed 92 runs off the last remaining 16 overs, with two new batsmen on the crease.
Suresh Raina took on the Australian bowler from the outset, while skipper Dhoni was his usual busy self, rotating the strike and ticking the scorecard taking it deep. Raina's 30-ball 38-run knock put the game in India's favour and Dhoni's measure knock ensure India didn't have any hiccups after that. Dhoni hadn't hit a single boundary in the game before he launched a 112-metre bazooka when India required 12 runs off 4 balls and India won the game with two balls remianing.
4. Dhoni's 45* against Sri Lanka in the tri-series final
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Another last-ball finish, another Dhoni special, however, the situation was a little more challenging this time as India collapsed from 139/3 to 167/8 chasing a 201-run target in the final of tri-series against Sri Lanka.
Rangana Herath's spell just bamboozled India as he took four wickets and India were reeling, still needing 36 runs off the last eight overs. The equation came down to 17 needed off the last two overs, with Dhoni and the last man standing Ishant Sharma in the middle.
Sharma survived the 49th over but India needed to score 15 runs in the final over to win the match and the tri-series. Shaminda Eranga was given the responsibility to bowl the last over. He started well as Dhoni failed to make a connection.
However, Dhoni pulled his straps and Eranga went the distance since then. A six over covers and two fours helped India seal the game and Dhoni was all smiles.
5. MS Dhoni's 183* against Sri Lanka
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Younger MS Dhoni with long hair early in his career strolled out in the middle at No 3 in just the first over after India lost the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar chasing a target of 299 runs. Dhoni lived up to his captain's faith and showed that he is not just a slogger or a pinch-hitter.
He took on Chaminda Vaas and smashed a couple of sixes before launching into Muralitharan expertly. After getting set he just bludgeoned his way to a century of just 85 balls and then just continued his way to a fabulous knock hitting 15 fours and 10 sixes.
Dhoni's 183*-run knock off just 145 balls helped India chase the target down with 23 balls to spare.
6. Dhoni's explosive knock of 72 runs off 46 balls against Pakistan
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Chasing a target of 289 runs with the five-match series levelled 1-1, India needed a great start, which they didn't get as they lost Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan at just 12 runs on the board. Tendulkar's 95-run knock helped India be on the way to their target but they had lost five wickets when Dhoni joined Yuvraj in the middle and they still needed 99 runs off 92 balls.
While Yuvraj was timing and playing the ball on its merit, Dhoni took the aggressor's role and played an outstanding innings of just 72 balls off just 46 balls. He didn't leave any loose ball and whether a wide ball or on the body, he just kept showing it the door towards the boundary.
He reached 35-ball 50 from a point where he was at 18 off 20 balls. He finished with 13 fours in the innings and helped the team chase down the total with 14 balls to spare.
