3 most iconic rain-affected matches in MS Dhoni's career
Led by MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings (CKS) will square off against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday, May 29.
The summit clash was originally scheduled to be played on Sunday, May 28. However, no play was possible due to heavy rainfall and the officials had to postpone the match to the reserve day.
Dhoni, who has played for over two decades now, has been part of several iconic rain-affected games in the past. While some matches have gone in his favor, many have gone against him.
On that note, let's take a look at three most iconic rain-affected matches in MS Dhoni's career.
#3 India vs England (Champions Trophy, 2013)
Heavy rainfall ahead of the all-important 2013 Champions Trophy final in Birmingham forced the umpires to stage a 20-overs-per-side contest.
England skipper Alastair Cook chose to bowl first to make the most of the moisture in the surface. The hosts got the first breakthrough when Stuart Broad dismissed Rohit Sharma in the fourth over. However, Virat Kohli (43) and Shikhar Dhawan (31) got India to a decent total before Ravindra Jadeja unleashed himself on the English bowlers.
He struck an unbeaten 33 off just 25 balls to help the Men in Blue post a challenging total of 129 runs on the board.
In response, England lost a few wickets early before Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara steadied the ship, adding 64 runs for the fifth wicket. Ravichandran Ashwin had only 14 runs to defend in the final over and did well to concede only nine runs, helping the Men in Blue win by five runs.
With this victory, MS Dhoni became the first captain in history to win three ICC events, including the 2007 World T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup.
#2 CSK vs RCB (Champions League Twenty20, 2010-11)
The first semi-final of the Champions League Twenty20 in 2010-11 saw the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) square off against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Chennai won the toss and chose to bat first. Only 2.5 overs of play was possible before rain arrived. The game was halted for almost three hours before it resumed and the overs were reduced to 17 overs per side.
Riding on a scintillating 94* off just 48 balls from Suresh Raina, CSK posted 174/4 on the board. The southpaw smacked five boundaries and six maximums to propel his side to a daunting total.
In response, the Royal Challengers were bowled out for 123 runs in 16.2 overs. They never looked on course for a win despite Manish Pandey's (52) valiant efforts.
This was MS Dhoni and Co.'s first Champions League victory. Later on, they went on to win the 2014 edition by beating the Kolkata Knight Riders before the tournament was scrapped.
#1 India vs New Zealand (ODI World Cup, 2019)
The first semi-final of the 2019 ODI World Cup saw India lock horns with New Zealand at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Batting first, the Kiwis got off to a strong start despite losing Martin Guptill early. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor took the onus on themselves and bailed the Blackcaps out of danger with a steady partnership.
The departure of Williamson (67) saw MS Dhoni and Co. chip in with a few quick wickets before rain arrived. The players waited for several hours but no play was possible and the match was pushed to the reserve day.
Ross Taylor (74) played a responsible knock as New Zealand scored 239/8 in their 50 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar starred with the ball for India, picking up three wickets.
The Men in Blue were hurt early in the run chase with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul back in the hut within the fourth over. The Kiwi pacers used the overcast conditions to great use to haunt India before Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja joined hands to bail India out of danger.
Dhoni and Jadeja added 116 runs for the seventh wicket before the latter was dismissed for 74 runs. With the legendary wicketkeeper-batter in the middle, India still held onto their hope. But a brilliant effort from Guptill that caught Dhoni short of his crease shattered India's dream of winning the World Cup.
It was also Dhoni's last match for India as the celebrated cricketer called time in his career on August 15, 2020.