5 MS Dhoni epics that silenced his critics

MS Dhoni has already cemented his place amongst the pantheon of greats. He is arguably the greatest finisher of all time playing many an unbelievable knock. A last-over specialist, Dhoni’s phlegmatic personality allows him to stay calm and take his team home, no matter what the odds are. Over the years, he has garnered some phenomenally unbelievable victories under his belt in both ODIs and T20Is.

From a nation of fans who always feared the worst, we have turned into cricket lovers who hope, nay expect a miracle each time Dhoni walks out, such has been his consistency. Over the years, Dhoni has also excelled at proving his detractors and critics wrong.

When the chips are down and when the critics breathe down his neck, Dhoni comes out with superlative performances to silence them all. Here we take a look at 5 such knocks from Dhoni that ensured he had the critics off his back for a good time.

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91*(79) v Sri Lanka, Mumbai, 2011

Dhoni’s greatest knock and one of the best all-time innings in World Cups came against Sri Lanka under unimaginable pressure. Chasing 274, India had lost both its openers, Sachin and Sehwag before Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir steadied the ship.

Dhoni walked in at 114 for 3 and made sure he was there till the end, especially after Gambhir threw it away three short of what would have been a brilliant match-winning century. Dhoni promoted himself ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh, a gamble he took to counter Muttiah Muralitharan, a great risk that paid off.

He added 109 with Gambhir and 54* with Yuvraj Singh as India chased down 274 in the 49th over, Dhoni finishing off the chase with an unforgettable six over long on. Despite a quiet World Cup, Dhoni turned up at the party when India needed him the most, a sense of the big occasion ingrained in him.

92* (86) v South Africa, Indore, 2015

India lost the first ODI and would have lost the second too had Dhoni not pulled them out of trouble single-handedly. Batting first, India slipped to 124 for 6. Dhoni added 41 with Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and 56 with Harbhajan Singh to stay unbeaten on 92.

Despite losing wickets from the other end, he managed to knock off the runs in just 86 balls with 7 fours and 4 sixes, picking and choosing his moments and literally planning his innings down to the T. He made sure, India, which had lost half its side before 25 overs were completed, played out all 50 overs.

After helping India post 247, Dhoni marshalled his resources amazingly well as South Africa faltered in the chase and were all out for 225. Dhoni had been asked many an uncomfortable question after the loss in the first ODI of the series.

His bat did all the talking for him this time around, as he showed why he still was the best finisher India had ever produced.

44* (58) v Australia, Adelaide, 2012

Remembered for the sheer audacity with which Dhoni pulled off a last over victory for India, this ODI was part of the Commonwealth Bank Series, following India’s disastrous 0-4 loss in the Tests. Under tremendous pressure, India salvaged some pride chasing down 270 with just 2 balls to spare.

However, at 239 for 5 India looked shaky after Gambhir’s gritty 92 put them on track. Things looked bad for Dhoni as India floundered in the chase and the run-rate rose steeply. At one point Dhoni was on 13 off 31 balls. However, he managed to keep India in the hunt till the last over when India needed 13 off the last 6 balls.

Then, in typical Dhoni fashion, he carted a six off Clint McKay over long-on, a colossal six remembered for clearing the massive Adelaide Oval boundary with ease. Dhoni turned hero from a villain within a span of a few overs, not unexpected given how many times he has had to deal with that.

54* (29) v KXIP, Dharamsala, 2010

Probably one of Dhoni’s most blistering T20 performances, it laid the foundation for the turnaround witnessed by CSK fans. Dhoni smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes to ensure CSK, in deep trouble at 148 for 4 in 16.4 overs, chased down 192.

The win ensured that CSK scraped through to the semi-final. Having scraped through, they played brilliantly beating Deccan Chargers in the Semi-final before accounting for Mumbai Indians in the Final to finally lift the trophy in its third season.

Dhoni had a lacklustre season having just scored 287 in 11 innings but this knock probably defines his personality – the man of the hour at the most critical of junctures. He was charged up and showed a lot of emotion too, something he rarely does.

That probably showed how much he enjoyed pulling the victory off to prove his detractors wrong.

64* (32) v KXIP, Visakhapatnam, 2016

Dhoni had an insipid season. Although he scored 284 runs at 40.5, his team Pune Super Giants put up a dismal show in their inaugural season, thanks to a spate of injuries to their top players. However, Dhoni finished the season in style, pulling off the impossible.

Chasing 173, the Super Giants were 86 for 5 before Dhoni added 58 with Thisara Perera. However, it seemed a little too steep with Super Giants needing 23 off the last 6 balls. But, Dhoni made mince-meat of Axar Patel’s 20th over, turning down singles and smashing the big sixes, including one off the last ball to pull off a great heist in probably the match of the tournament.

It ironically came in a dead rubber. Dhoni once again showed that you can write him off at your own peril as he is capable of sensational comebacks.