5 MS Dhoni epics that silenced his critics

MS Dhoni has already cemented his place amongst the pantheon of greats. He is arguably the greatest finisher of all time playing many an unbelievable knock. A last-over specialist, Dhoni’s phlegmatic personality allows him to stay calm and take his team home, no matter what the odds are. Over the years, he has garnered some phenomenally unbelievable victories under his belt in both ODIs and T20Is.

From a nation of fans who always feared the worst, we have turned into cricket lovers who hope, nay expect a miracle each time Dhoni walks out, such has been his consistency.  Over the years, Dhoni has also excelled at proving his detractors and critics wrong.

When the chips are down and when the critics breathe down his neck, Dhoni comes out with superlative performances to silence them all. Here we take a look at 5 such knocks from Dhoni that ensured he had the critics off his back for a good time.

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91*(79) v Sri Lanka, Mumbai, 2011

Dhoni’s greatest knock and one of the best all-time innings in World Cups came against Sri Lanka under unimaginable pressure. Chasing 274, India had lost both its openers, Sachin and Sehwag before Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir steadied the ship.

Dhoni walked in at 114 for 3 and made sure he was there till the end, especially after Gambhir threw it away three short of what would have been a brilliant match-winning century. Dhoni promoted himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh, a gamble he took to counter Muttiah Muralitharan, a great risk that paid off.

He added 109 with Gambhir and 54* with Yuvraj Singh as India chased down 274 in the 49th over, Dhoni finishing off the chase with an unforgettable six over long on. Despite a quiet World Cup, Dhoni turned up at the party when India needed him the most, a sense of the big occasion ingrained in him.