M.S. Dhoni has been different from the player we’ve known for years. His grey sideburns remind everyone that his time in cricket has come to an end. On August 15, India’s Independence Day, Dhoni decided to retire from international cricket. Now, he’ll watch the game from the sidelines.
Though he hasn’t been as strong on the field lately, Dhoni has had an amazing career. He started as a player and later became a successful leader.
Dhoni achieved many victories as captain. He led India to their first World T20 win in 2007, the 2011 World Cup win in India, and the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. He also took India to the number one ranking in Test and ODI cricket.
Here are five moments from Dhoni’s time as captain that showed why he was admired as one of the coolest captains in cricket.
1. 2007 World T20 final
With their senior players rested and a new captain leading them, no one expected India to do well in a format they were unfamiliar with. But under Dhoni’s leadership, India surprised everyone by defeating England, South Africa, and Australia, reaching the final against arch-rivals Pakistan.
The final match was tense, with Pakistan needing 13 runs from the last over. Dhoni made a surprising decision by giving the ball to Joginder Sharma. Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq hit a six in the second ball of the over, raising doubts. However, on the next ball, Misbah attempted a risky shot but was caught by S. Sreesanth near short fine leg. This catch secured India’s victory by 5 runs in the first ICC World T20 tournament, a moment that will be remembered forever.
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2. 2011 World Cup final
Yuvraj Singh played a crucial role in helping India reach the final at their home ground. Despite having top batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag open the innings, India faced a tough task of chasing 275 runs to win against Sri Lanka in the final at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Unfortunately, both Tendulkar and Sehwag were out early with only 31 runs on the board.
Gautam Gambhir then came in at number three and played superbly, scoring 97 runs. However, it was captain MS Dhoni’s decision to promote himself up the batting order, ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh, that proved decisive for India.
Dhoni played a memorable innings, scoring 91 runs off 79 balls. His highlight moment came in the 49th over when he hit a six off Nuwan Kulasekara to seal India’s victory and their second World Cup title. Dhoni’s strategic move and exceptional batting made him a hero in cricket history, adding to the drama of the match
3. 2013 Champions Trophy – Asking Rohit to open
Rohit Sharma has repeatedly said that Dhoni helped his ODI career a lot by suggesting he should start batting first before the 2013 Champions Trophy in England. Since then, Rohit has quickly become one of the best opening batsmen in the game. His exceptional performance in the 2019 World Cup proved this, where he not only scored the most runs but also made a record five centuries.
In early 2019, Rohit became the quickest player to reach 6,000 runs as an opener in ODI cricket. Currently, he has scored 6,691 runs in 130 innings as an opener.
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4. 2013 Champions Trophy – Handing Ishant Sharma the ball
A big moment happened during the rainy final of the Champions Trophy in Birmingham. Dhoni made a crucial decision: he chose Ishant Sharma to bowl the 18th over, even though Ishant had been expensive earlier. Ishant then took two wickets in two balls, breaking Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara’s partnership of 64 runs. This helped India win the game and the prized trophy.
5. 2016 World T20
India didn’t win the tournament, losing to West Indies in the semi-finals. However, Dhoni showed his brilliance as captain in his final ICC event. India narrowly beat Bangladesh by one run, with Dhoni playing a crucial role. Highlights included Hardik Pandya taking three wickets in the last over, Dhoni’s amazing stumping of Sabbir Rahman, and a decisive run-out on the final ball. These moments will be remembered for a long time.
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