5 best MS Dhoni knocks in T20Is
Despite all the hype and media attention around this India vs England T20 series, one thing that seems to have gone under the radar is that, if MS Dhoni is planning on retiring from international cricket after the 2019 World Cup (which is what the assumption is), then this will be his farewell T20 international series.
Dhoni, who was India's first captain in the format, has played a pivotal role in India becoming a T20 superpower, and he has been in the T20 squad since India started playing the format. To honour the T20 international player Dhoni, this slideshow looks at five of his best performances in the format in India colours.
#5 36(18) vs Australia (ICC World T20, Durban, 2007)
Because of how low Dhoni bats in the order, a common trend across his significant innings is that the statistics do not necessarily reflect the importance of those innings to the team; this innings of his against Australia is no different.
In a high-pressure semi-final against an Australian side consisting of Gilchrist, Hayden, Symonds, Hussey, and several other world-class players, Dhoni was, as usual, tasked with finishing the innings.
The stage had been set for him by Yuvraj Singh, who had played a blistering knock of 70. But Dhoni's valuable contribution down the order took the Indian total from being a good one to a great one, an important difference given the magnitude of the situation and the quality of opposition they were up against.
Over the course of his innings, Dhoni managed to hit four boundaries and one cracking six, but what was as important as the boundaries in this innings was his communication, running between the wickets, and partnership with Yuvi, something that would go on to help the Indian side on many occasions in the future as well.
This innings also had an important role in lifting the morale of the team in the match: it made them believe that they could beat the team that had just won three world cups in a row, and under Dhoni's leadership, they went on to do just that.