3 reasons why MS Dhoni's Test record is underrated
On this day (December 30) in 2014, MS Dhoni stunned the cricket world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket. Dhoni was still the captain of the Indian Test team when he decided to hang up his boots.
India toured Australia for a four-Test series in 2014/15. Dhoni suffered an injury before the series and missed the first Test. Virat Kohli led the Test team for the first time in the series opener at Adelaide Oval. The visitors almost pulled off a win in that match but ended up losing the Test by 48 runs.
MS Dhoni came back for the second Test. India lost that game by four wickets and conceded an unassailable 0-2 lead to Australia. The third Test in Melbourne ended in a stalemate. After the match, Dhoni announced his retirement and Virat Kohli became India's full-time Test captain.
Many fans consider Dhoni as one of the best white-ball cricketers in the sport's history, but not all members of the cricket universe give the same importance to his achievements in Test cricket. In this listicle, we will list down the three reasons why Dhoni's Test record is underrated.
#1 MS Dhoni could have scored multiple Test hundreds in England
Fans on social media often troll Dhoni for not scoring a Test hundred in any nation outside Asia. However, they should note that he missed out on the triple-figure mark quite narrowly on multiple occasions. He has also played several important knocks which have more value than a century.
In the 2007 Lord's Test, Dhoni was not out on 76 in the fourth innings. India needed 380 runs to win the game, but they lost nine wickets for 263 runs. Dhoni and tailender Sreesanth ensured that India did not lose the Test as they salvaged a draw with India's final score being 282/9. India won that series by 1-0.
He also had scores of 92, 77, 74*, 82, 71 and 82 in other matches in England. In the majority of innings, he was the top-scorer. Had he received more support from others, he could have converted his scores into centuries. Also, if Dhoni had not scored those runs, India would have registered embarrassing low totals in the series against England in 2014.
#2 MS Dhoni still owns the record for highest individual score by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests
#DidYouKnow MS Dhoni is the only India wicket-keeper to have scored a double century in Tests 🙌
He made 224 in the 2013 Chennai Test against Australia. https://t.co/eJCXaq8fVq
Eight years have passed since Dhoni's Test retirement, but not a single Indian wicket-keeper has been able to break his record for the highest individual score in Test cricket.
Back in 2013, Dhoni smashed a match-winning 224-run knock against Australia to help India win the Chennai Test by eight wickets. Dhoni's double ton lifted India's score from 196/4 to 546/9 in that Test.
#3 Dhoni has a 50+ batting average in 3 countries outside India
On this day 2006, MS Dhoni Scored his first test century - 148 vs Pakistan 🏏💥
@MSDhoni | #MSDhoni | #WhistlePodu https://t.co/BxPm99RPdZ
As mentioned earlier, MS Dhoni's overseas Test record has always been a topic of discussion after his retirement, but fans fail to notice that he has a batting average of more than 50 in three nations outside India.
Dhoni scored 272 runs in four Tests in New Zealand at an average of 54.40. His batting average in Pakistan was 59.67, while his batting average in Bangladesh was 96.50. The numbers prove why MS Dhoni's Test record is underrated.