5 Masterstrokes by MS Dhoni-The Captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India’s greatest captain, was accorded the honour to lead the Men in Blue for a record 200th time in ODI cricket against Afghanistan in the 2018 Asia Cup.
Dhoni had captained India in 199 ODIs before, with him leading the team to victories on 110 occasions. His reign as ODI captain also included triumphs at the 2011 ICC World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Additionally, he also led India to the title at the inaugural ICC World T20 in 2007 while also helping India achieve the numero uno status in the Test rankings.
MS Dhoni has been known throughout his career for his quick thinking, his ability to be composed at all times and to back his players even when the going got tough. These attributes came to the fore while he was marshalling his troops as well. He had a hand in resurrecting a number of players’ careers while also igniting a few careers.
On the occasion of his 200th ODI as captain of the Indian team, we will take a walk down memory lane and look back at some of his greatest decisions in international cricket, across all formats.
Without further ado, here are MS Dhoni - The Captain’s greatest masterstrokes:
#5 Persisting with Joginder Sharma for the last over in the World T20 final
India and Pakistan locked horns at the Wanderers in the final of the 2007 ICC World T20. The match was delicately poised heading into the final over, where Pakistan needed 13 runs to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Dhoni, the Indian captain had the option of bowling the experienced Harbhajan or persist with the relatively unknown Joginder. The man from Ranchi opted for the latter and the rest is history.
Despite beginning the over nervously, Joginder brought all his domestic experience into play and accounted for the wicket of the in-form Misbah Ul Haq. Dhoni had taken a huge gamble by choosing the seamer from Haryana over Harbhajan but eventually, it worked a treat.
Dhoni was always a man who listened to his hunch very often and came up with left-field decisions which left the opposition surprised. Though there was always a method to his madness, Dhoni sometimes made the most ludicrous of moves work.
The trust shown by Dhoni in Joginder helped India clinch victory from the jaws of defeat and catapulted the Indian captain into the limelight. In his very first tournament as captain, Dhoni had signalled that he possessed an uncanny knack of turning things around from the most hopeless of situations. Thus, it ranks as his 5th greatest decision ever.