10 best innings played by Mahendra Singh Dhoni
"I would go to war with MS Dhoni by my side"
- Gary Kirsten
This quote epitomizes the man and his significance to Indian cricket. The game has seen brilliant batsmen, exceptional leaders and consistent finishers. A combination of all those three aspects made Mahendra Singh Dhoni cricket's most valuable player. Dhoni has donned the hats of various roles in his career and conquered them with calmness and precision.
Arguably India's greatest captain of all time, world's best finisher and one of the hardest hitters of a cricket ball, MS Dhoni is in a league of his own. His explosive batting bailed India out of trouble for years now whereas his mature head guided India to numerous accolades. In this segment, we will look at Captain Cool - MS Dhoni's 10 best innings of all time to visit a path down the memory lane and revisit some of Dhoni specials:
#10 72* vs Pakistan, Lahore, 2006
India's tour of Pakistan in 2005/06 can be said as a breakthrough series for MS Dhoni as a batsman and as a successful chaser. Chasing 289 at the Gaddafi Stadium is never an easy task with the Blues reeling at 190 for 5 at one stage after 35 overs. The match rested on the shoulders of Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh to guide home.
Dhoni was at his destructive best in that game as he completed his half-century in just 35 balls. An expert partnership between the two meant India chase down the total with 14 balls to spare. MS scored 72 from 46 balls which included 13 fours.
This match is best remembered for its post-match press conference where the then Pakistan president Parvez Musharraf praised Dhoni for his brilliant batting and also advised him to keep his famous long locks.