3 most memorable Gautam Gambhir-MS Dhoni partnerships in international cricket
Team India in the mid-2000s and early 2010s were one of the best to have played the game of cricket. The Men in Blue won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa, became the No.1 team in Test cricket in 2009, and thereafter won the 2011 World Cup.
The team had many stalwarts who contributed to the success of the team. The likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, and Zaheer Khan to name a few played a vital role in team India's success during the period mentioned hereinabove.
However, two more players contributed to the success of the Indian team in all three formats, viz. Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni. The duo were the unsung heroes for Team India on several occasions and stitched together a few memorable partnerships for the team.
Here is a look at three such memorable partnerships between the duo in international cricket:
#1 109 runs - ICC World Cup 2011 final vs Sri Lanka, Mumbai
Team India were chasing a mammoth 275 in the final of the 2011 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium. They lost Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar early in the run chase and were reeling at 31/2. Gautam Gambhir added 83 runs with Virat Kohli for the third wicket before the latter perished.
Gambhir was then joined by skipper MS Dhoni and the duo added 109 runs from 118 balls to guide Team India to a comfortable position. While Gambhir played the role of a sheet anchor, Dhoni was the aggressor in the partnership and the duo ensured that the Sri Lankan bowlers were kept at bay.
The experienced Sri Lankan bowling lineup comprising Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thisara Perera, Suraj Randiv, and Muttiah Muralitharan were handled brilliantly by the Indian duo during the run chase, and the hosts created history by chasing the highest-ever total in a World Cup final.
Gambhir fell three short of his century and Dhoni was unbeaten on 91 from 79 balls and Team India won the coveted trophy after a wait of 28 long years.
#2 184 runs - Commonwealth Bank Series 2008 vs Sri Lanka, Brisbane
Team India's triumph in the CB Series 2008 is one of their best in ODI cricket to date. They beat a strong Australian team by a margin of 2-0 in the three-match finals. However, the seeds of success for the team were laid down early on in the tournament.
In the very second match of the said CB series, team India lost four wickets inside 21 overs in a game against Sri Lanka with just 83 runs on board. Dhoni walked out to bat and added 184 runs for the fifth wicket with Gautam Gambhir from just 175 balls and guided team India to a respectable total of 267 in 50 overs.
The duo of Gambhir and Dhoni were unbeaten, with the former scoring 102 from 101 balls and the Indian skipper finishing with 88 from 95 balls.
The said partnership could have been a match-winning one had rain not intervened during the chase. As the Sri Lankan innings could not get underway, the match was abandoned.
However, the partnership between Gambhir and Dhoni was a memorable one and guided the team to a respectable total.
#3 188 runs - India vs Lanka, 4th ODI, Colombo, 2009
In an ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2009, the duo of Gambhir and Dhoni added 188 runs for the second wicket from just 184 balls and guided India to a win over the hosts.
Batting first, Team India scored 332 for the loss of five wickets from 50 overs, with Gautam Gambhir being the top scorer. The Indian opener scored 150 from 147 balls, including 14 boundaries and a six. He lost his opening partner Virender Sehwag in the third over of the innings and Dhoni prompted himself to bat at No.3.
The duo handled a strong Sri Lankan bowling attack in their home conditions with ease and added 184 runs. Dhoni scored 94 runs from 96 balls before being dismissed by Sanath Jayasuriya.
Team India won the encounter by 67 runs and Gambhir was awarded the Player of the Match for his incredible knock.