5 occasions when MS Dhoni surprised us with his captaincy in limited overs cricket
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is arguably the greatest limited overs captain India has ever seen. He is renowned for taking unconventional decisions that shock cricket enthusiasts around the world. More often than not, however, the decisions have proved to be justified and India emerged victoriously.
Earlier today the World Cup winning captain took one of the most shocking decisions in his entire career. It was announced earlier that Dhoni has stepped down as the limited overs captain of the Indian cricket team with Virat Kohli set to take up the mantle.
Many captains have come and gone but India has never had a captain like MS Dhoni and never will. Here’s looking at five occasions on which the 35-year-old surprised all and sundry with his decisions.
#1 ICC ODI World Cup Final 2011: India vs Sri Lanka
Leading up to the World Cup final, Dhoni had been criticised by the local press for his preference for the ineffective Piyush Chawla over Ravichandran Ashwin and his own poor form with the bat. In the final, he sprang a surprise yet again by including the erratic and hotheaded S Sreesanth ahead of Ashwin.
With Sreesanth being battered by Mahela Jayawardene and co. and the Lankans setting a formidable target of 275, Dhoni was gearing up for potential pillory. While openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were dismissed early, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli managed to steady the ship for a while.
However, Kohli got out at the wrong time. With everyone expecting the in-form Yuvraj Singh to step out, Dhoni sprang a surprise as he walked down to the pitch. What followed next was a Dhoni spectacle as he scored a match-winning 91 not out to script India’s six-wicket victory.
Speaking after the match, Dhoni had said, “I took quite a few decisions tonight, if we hadn't won I would have been asked quite a few questions - why no Ashwin and why Sreesanth. Why no Yuvraj and why did I bat ahead of him?”
"That pushed me and motivated me to do well.”