4 times MS Dhoni helped India achieve a respectable total

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On Sunday, as the Indian team was taking on Sri Lanka in the first ODI, everybody was expecting them to dominate the same way they had dominated the Test series. But what happened was exactly opposite. The Indian batting line up fell like a house of cards. At one stage, it looked like as if the host team would not even be able to cross the three-digit mark.

Then, like many other times, came MS Dhoni to the rescue of the team. He played a dependable innings of 65 runs and was the only Indian batsman who seemed to middle the ball. As a result of this innings, the Indian team was able to achieve a score of 112 runs in 38.2 overs.

With captain Kohli not playing the ODI series, this was a warning for the host team that the road ahead is not going to be easy. If it would not have been for Dhoni, the team would have struggled badly.

This was not the first time when MS Dhoni played the ‘Mr. Dependable’ for the team. Here are some instances when the ex-captain helped India in scoring a respectable total:

#4. India vs Australia, 2013

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This was the third ODI of Australia’s tour of India in 2013. Both teams had won one match each and this match was a crucial one as it would give the winning team the upper hand. The Indian team was struggling at a score of 76/3 in 13 overs when MS Dhoni came out. Only Virat Kohli was looking in good touch among the top-order batsmen.

In such conditions, MS Dhoni helped team India achieve a total of 303/9 in 50 overs with a staggering individual score of 139 of just 121 balls. He led from the front and the Australian bowlers were almost helpless against him.

The captain took off to a slow start and accelerated his innings towards the end. This was another example of a captain’s innings.

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