MS Dhoni Birthday: 3 reasons why "MSD" was successful as an unorthodox batter
Former Team India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni turns 41 today. He is celebrating his birthday in the UK along with family and friends. On this special occasion, his wife Sakshi shared a video of "MSD" cutting his birthday cake. Current Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant also attended the birthday bash of the legendary cricketer.
Dhoni is regarded as one of the greatest keeper-batters to have graced the game in the white-ball format. He scored 10773 runs in 350 ODIs at an average of 50.57 with 10 hundreds and 73 fifties.
Also, in 98 T20Is, he smashed 1617 runs at a strike rate of 126.13. As captain, Dhoni is the only one to have won all the ICC trophies in white-ball cricket - T20 World Cup (2007), 50-over World Cup (2011) and Champions Trophy (2013).
The Ranchi-born cricketer’s batting won him admirers across the globe. On the occasion of his 41st birthday, we analyzed three reasons why he achieved success as an unorthodox batter.
#1 He knew how to seize the big moments
One of Dhoni’s biggest assets as a batter was that he knew when to turn the heat on the opposition. There were numerous occasions when it seemed like a match was slipping away, but perhaps only he knew that things were under his control. And so, while he liked taking the match deep, he also knew which bowler to attack and when.
One of the greatest examples of Dhoni seizing the big moment came during the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After India lost Virat Kohli, everyone expected Yuvraj Singh, who was in terrific form, to come in to bat. However, the captain decided to take control of the proceedings and walked into the middle. The rest, as they say, is history.
Happy birthday fav! #HappyBirthdayDhoni https://t.co/7Ao4dBUGS4
There may have been many batters, who were as incredibly talented and destructive as “Captain Cool” during his playing days. However, when it came to delivering under pressure, few were as good as Dhoni.
#2 He had the strokes to pull off incredible wins
It is one thing to have the temperament for the big moments and a totally different matter to have the talent to pull off incredible feats with the willow. Along with a strong presence of mind, Dhoni also had an amazing array of strokes, which enabled him to win matches from near-impossible situations.
His helicopter shots were, of course, legendary, which he often pulled out to unsettle bowlers. However, he was also a great player of the pull stroke, something not many Indians can boast about. Dhoni’s strong shoulders also allowed him to hit the ball a very long way.
He did not play the sweep shot a lot, which hampered him towards the end of his career against the slow bowlers. At his peak, though, he had enough arsenal in the batting armory to disrupt the bowlers’ rhythm. The repertoire of strokes coupled with his canny instincts made him a doubly dangerous batter.
#3 He had amazing confidence in his ability
One of the biggest reasons why Dhoni exceeded all expectations as a batter in international cricket was because of the confidence he had in his ability. Upon entering the big stage, many critics claimed that he would soon fade away. They felt that his unorthodox batting technique wasn’t suitable for international cricket.
Dhoni, however, proved all the doubters wrong. Like Adam Gilchrist before him, he showed the cricketing world that technique is only as much a handicap as you allow it to be. He made minor adjustments to his technique, but stuck to his tried and tested way of playing and achieved success all over the globe, especially in white-ball cricket.
The cricket world is brighter only because of you! Wishing you a very Happy Birthday Mahi Bhai @msdhoni https://t.co/KFp9fbnFuI
The supreme confidence in his skills was also what enabled Dhoni to take cricket matches deep. He backed himself to play the big strokes just when the team needed it. And because he trusted his game wholeheartedly, he was able to pull off wins from seemingly impossible positions on numerous occasions.
In short, Dhoni made India believe because he believed in himself.
Also Read: “To the man who redefined No. 7” - Wishes pour in for MS Dhoni as "Captain Cool" turns 41