India’s best ODI XI under MS Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is arguably the most successful Indian captain in all three formats of the game. He became the captain in 2007 - right after India's calamitous 2007 World Cup and has led India to various titles across formats. He is the only captain to win all the ICC tournaments (World Twenty20, ODI World Cup, and Champions Trophy).
Dhoni has led India in 331 matches (60 Tests, 199 One Day Internationals, and 72 Twenty20). Of all the Indian captains, Dhoni has won the most number of matches in all three formats. He has also scored more than 16000 international runs in his career.
India was one of the best ODI sides under his captaincy and played some fearless cricket. Some of the greatest Indian cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan, Ashish Nehra, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Dravid, and many more have played under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.
Dhoni was the captain of Indian ODI team between 2007 and 2016, and hence the players statistics during that period alone are considered for the article.
On that note, let’s take a look at the best ODI XI under MS Dhoni.
Openers
Rohit Sharma is one of the most successful ODI opening batsmen in the world right now. Rohit Sharma made his ODI debut under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid in 2007 and played almost 150 games under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. The 31-year-old has played some scintillating knocks and became the only player to score three double hundreds in ODI cricket. Rohit Sharma has been key to India’s ODI success in recent years.
Rohit's record under MS Dhoni:
Matches - 151
Runs - 5123
Hundreds - 10
Gautam Gambhir pips Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan to open alongside Rohit Sharma in Dhoni’s best ODI XI. Gambhir has been one of India’s batting mainstay for nearly 10 years. He has scored more than 10000 international runs and played a stellar role in India’s 2011 World Cup win. Gambhir is one of the very few Indian cricketers who were successful across formats. Gambhir last played international cricket in 2016.
Gambhir's record under MS Dhoni:
Matches - 118
Runs - 4353
Hundreds - 9