In One Day Internationals (ODIs), the role of a finisher needs to be done perfectly. Finishing an innings is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to most batsmen. Many great finishers have made their mark in the game. Michael Bevan is considered one of the best finishers ever. Currently, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is seen as the best. His teammate Yuvraj Singh also has a talent for finishing matches in style. India is lucky to have two of the best finishers on their team. Together, they have scored over 4000 runs in ODIs.
Here is a list of the top 5 Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni partnerships.
5. 54* vs Sri Lanka, Mumbai, 2011
This 54-run partnership between Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni is ranked fifth, even ahead of some partnerships over 100 runs, because of the crucial situation in which they batted. It was the final match of the 2011 World Cup, and India was chasing a target of 275 runs to win. Unfortunately, India lost the early wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli steadied the innings, but then Virat got out. Captain Dhoni, who had been having a tough tournament, decided to bat before Yuvraj, who was in great form. After Gambhir got out for 97, India needed 52 runs from 52 balls. Yuvraj joined Dhoni, and together they scored 54 runs off 42 balls, leading India to victory in the World Cup final. Dhoni scored an impressive 91, while Yuvraj added a vital 21 runs to secure the win.
4. 158 vs Zimbabwe, Harare, 2005
In 2005, during a triangular series in Zimbabwe, India’s two best finishers teamed up for an epic performance. India had set a challenging target of 250 runs, but Zimbabwe’s bowlers quickly dismissed India’s top five batsmen, leaving them at 91 for 5 and on the brink of a big defeat. However, Yuvraj Singh played an outstanding innings, with strong support from Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Together, they needed 159 runs from 154 balls when they joined at the crease. Yuvraj scored a brilliant 120 runs from 124 balls, while Dhoni added an unbeaten 67 runs from 63 balls. Yuvraj was dismissed just two runs shy of victory, but Dhoni secured the win with a massive six.
3. 102*vs Australia, Rajkot, 2013
In the one-off Twenty20 match against Australia in Rajkot, Australia set a huge target of 202 runs for India to chase in just 20 overs. It seemed like an impossible task. India lost Rohit Sharma early, but Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan gave a good start in the powerplay overs before they were both dismissed. Virat Kohli got a start but then lost his wicket.
In his second comeback after recovering from cancer, a fitter Yuvraj Singh was brought in to handle the chase, a role he had played many times before in ODIs, alongside MS Dhoni. As expected, Yuvraj and Dhoni managed to save India again. Their partnership of 102 runs from 51 balls led India to victory. Yuvraj was the main aggressor, scoring his highest T20I score of 77 runs off 35 balls, while Dhoni supported him, scoring 21 runs off 24 balls.
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2. 148 vs Australia, Delhi, 2009
After bowling Australia out for 229, India lost Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir early. However, Sachin Tendulkar stabilized the innings with a cautious 32 runs off 47 balls. When Tendulkar got out, India was struggling at 53-3. Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni then stepped up, playing smart cricket and both scoring half-centuries, leading India to a six-wicket victory over a weakened Australian side in the third ODI, giving India a 2-1 lead in the seven-match series. They shared a crucial partnership of 148 runs from 178 balls. Yuvraj made a solid 78 from 96 balls, while Dhoni contributed 71 from 95 balls. When Yuvraj was dismissed, India needed just 29 more runs from 36 balls. Their partnership of 148 runs set a new fourth-wicket record at Kotla, surpassing the previous best of 111 runs by Sourav Ganguly and Mohammad Kaif against England in 2002.
1. 102* vs Pakistan, Lahore, 2006
This match was seen as the ultimate showdown. After each winning one game, India and Pakistan clashed in the third ODI in Lahore. Pakistan batted first and set a target of 289 runs in 50 overs for India. India started well but then struggled at 190 for 5 after 35 overs. That’s when Yuvraj and Dhoni stepped in to save the game. Yuvraj hit 79 runs off 87 balls, and Dhoni scored 72 runs off 46 balls, leading India to victory with 14 balls remaining. Their partnership is considered one of the best between them.
With both players having at least five more years in their careers, fans can look forward to more such partnerships and victories from these famous Indian batsmen.
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