Happy Birthday MS Dhoni: 3 most underrated Test Knocks of former India captain's career
The name MS Dhoni reverberates differently from most other decorated cricketers of India, having been a contrarian in many ways. While Indian fans generally celebrate cricketers upon statistics, MSD is arguably the first and only one that built his legacy on his captaincy accolades and finishing tight run-chases.
Despite the sensational numbers in white-ball cricket, both as an individual and as a captain, Dhoni's Test credentials have mostly been undervalued by experts, fans, and analysts.
Furthermore, the 42-year-old is often fondly remembered for leading India to three ICC titles and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to IPL glory a record five times.
However, Dhoni's earth-shattering numbers as a batter and a captain in ODIs and T20s have overshadowed several outstanding knocks he played for Team India in the longer format.
ᴄᴀᴘᴛᴀɪɴ, ʟᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ, ʟᴇɢᴇɴᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴ ɪɴsᴘɪʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛᴏ ᴍɪʟʟɪᴏɴs 💙
The man who never gave up. The man who defied all odds time and time again. The man who inspired a generation to believe and chase their dreams 🙌
Happy Birthday to India's most successful… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/Z7UMhD003M
Batting predominantly at numbers 6 and 7, MS Dhoni scored almost 5,000 runs at an overall Test average of 38.08, with six centuries and 33 half-centuries in 90 games. 'Captain Cool' is also the third-highest run-scorer as a wicket-keeper batsman in Test cricket behind Adam Gilchrist and Mark Boucher.
Further, the champion cricketer has the third-highest score in an innings (224 against Australia in Chennai) by a wicket-keeper batsman.
Another underrated aspect of the former skipper is his glove work, evidenced by the fifth-highest dismissals (294) and the third-most stumpings (38) by a wicket-keeper in Test history. Having captained the side and kept wickets in a record 60 Tests, Dhoni is the only cricketer to have ever achieved the rare feat.
Dhoni also led India to some of its most famous Test victories, including a drawn series against a powerful South African outfit in 2010 and series wins in New Zealand and West Indies.
While celebrating MSD's accolades could extend to a long length, let us, without any further delay, have a sneak peek at three of his most underrated Test Knocks.
#3. 82 Vs. England, 5th Test @ Oval, 2014
Team India entered the 2014 Test series in England with a mission to right the wrong of the 2011 tour, where they were at the receiving end of a 4-0 pounding. Unfortunately for the Dhoni-led outfit, after a sensational start by winning the second Test at Lord's to take a 1-0 lead, they suffered back-to-back defeats in the best-of-five series.
Following an 8/4 start to the previous Test at Manchester, India were off to a similarly embarrassing start by getting reduced to 28/4 in the final Test at the Oval. MS Dhoni, who rescued India with a defiant 71 in the Manchester Test, was in early again with the side in dire straits.
In a seemingly improbable situation, MSD took several body blows in a display of impeccable defensive skills mixed with timely boundaries while scoring a masterful 82 of 140 deliveries.
With a miserly bowling attack boasting the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad and a challenging pitch, Dhoni negotiated the conditions. He counter-attacked and used some innovative methods.
For further context, the second-highest scorer for India behind Dhoni's 82 was the opener Murali Vijay with 18. However, despite the gritty knock by MSD, India folded for only 148 and went on to lose the match by an innings and 244 runs.
MS Dhoni's defiant innings in the 2014 tour of England in challenging conditions and adverse situations should feature higher in the list of his career accomplishments.
#2. 132* Vs. South Africa, 2nd Test @ Kolkata, 2010
Another one of MS Dhoni's underrated Test knocks came in 2010 during the final Test of the two-match series against the Proteas, at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
In the battle for the No.1 ranking in Tests, the Proteas took a 1-0 lead with a sensational victory by an innings and six runs at Nagpur.
Faced with a must-win situation to reclaim the top position in Tests and maintain their proud home record, Team India bowled South Africa out for 296 in their first innings of the second Test. In reply, the hosts coasted along to 331-2 on the back of magnificent centuries by Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.
However, a slight-middle order stutter had India in a delicate situation at 384-6 when skipper MS Dhoni entered the crease to a rousing reception from the Eden Gardens crowd. And the champion batter did not disappoint as he dismantled the esteemed Proteas pace battery with hits to all parts of the ground, scoring an unbeaten 132 of 187 deliveries.
Dhoni shared an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 259 with VVS Laxman as the duo took India to a mammoth total of 643/6 declared in their first innings. The South Africans were demoralized by the Indian skipper's heroics, eventually losing the game by an innings and 57 runs.
#1. 76* Vs. England, 1st Test @Lord's, 2007
MS Dhoni's first-ever Test in England ranks as one of the most under-rated knocks of his career.
Having hardly any experience against the swinging ball and gloomy overhead conditions, the former Indian skipper produced one of the best match-saving innings in modern times.
In the first Test of the three-match series, at Lord's, Team India were set a steep target of 380 to win and were eventually reduced to 140/5 with more than 50 overs remaining on the fifth day.
With defeat seemingly inevitable, MS Dhoni scored an unbeaten 76 against a resilient English attack while shepherding the tail-end batters. The knock helped India salvage an unlikely draw from the jaws of defeat, with the last wicket pair of Dhoni and S Sreesanth remaining intact.
The result proved pivotal as India emerged victorious 1-0 in the series for their first series victory in England in over 20 years. Dhoni's contribution was pivotal in denting England's hopes of taking a 1-0 lead in the series.