MS Dhoni's five best ODI knocks as non-captain

Possessing a long, flowing mane with golden streaks and a homemade batting technique that was unlovely yet effective, MS Dhoni, the non-captain, seems to be a memory from a different era altogether. He used to club bowlers at will, throwing his bat around like Thor’s Mjolnir before captaincy made him unobtrusive and measured.

The clock has been turned back, and Dhoni is back to being a pure wicket-keeper batsman. Against England, at Cuttack, the Dhoni of old struck one of his biggest ODI scores, trampling over the tourists the way he used to a decade back. His 134, his first ton since October 2013, was enough to dispel arguments about his value as a 35-year old in the limited overs squad.

Let us rewind the clock further and revisit some of Dhoni’s best knocks when captaincy was not on his shoulders:

#5 72* vs Pakistan, Lahore (2005)

A long haired Dhoni, golden locks and all, got a new fan in Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who broke protocol and asked the stumper not to cut his mane ever during the post-match ceremony of an India-Pakistan ODI. Hours before, Dhoni had made Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq pull all his hair out in frustration by making a mockery out of a tight chase.

The short ball thudded to the square leg boundary, full balls found their way to the sightscreen and the cameraman’s favourite pastime became zooming in on the forlorn faces of the Pakistani bowlers. In 46 balls, Dhoni helped construct a remarkable chase, unflustered by the target, or the arch-rivals, showing his nerves of steels along with Yuvraj, his partner in crime.

Dhoni and Yuvraj were in a playful mood in the middle, unmindful of the steep run rates during their partnership of 102 off just 79 balls. At one point, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan seemed to have lost his length completely, feeding Dhoni short balls, three of which were consecutively sent to the fence. 

By this time, there were no doubts about Dhoni’s ability as a future top finisher.