5 occasions when MS Dhoni failed to finish a run chase

The biggest difference between human beings and god is that the former can make errors while the latter is perfect. Thus, no matter how good you are at doing something, there will be a time when failure, disappointment and loss will become your partners. MS Dhoni, for instance, is possibly the greatest chaser India has ever produced in limited overs cricket including both T20Is and ODIs. Just to give you an insight into the man’s abilities, Dhoni has a batting average of 105+ in 86 ODIs, which India have won while chasing over the years.

While no one can ever forget the countless times MSD has finished off run chases with boundaries, there have been occasions on which it was proved that he is human as well. Dhoni, more often than not, has taken the mantle of chasing a total down on his shoulders and succeeded. However, there have been instances when even the great Dhoni has not been able to finish off a run chase. We take a look at five such occasions when the chase defeated Dhoni than vice versa:

1) India vs West Indies – 1^st T20I, August 27^th, 2016 (West Indies won by 1 run)

India almost pulled off the biggest run chase in T20I history

West Indian openers Evin Lewis (Chris Gayle’s replacement) and Johnson Charles caused havoc by putting on a 126-run stand in under 10 overs after MS Dhoni had put them into bat. Courtesy the former's 49-ball knock of 100, the Islanders posted a mammoth total of 245, which looked like insurmountable. However, Rohit Sharma (62 from 28 balls) and KL Rahul (110 not out from 51 balls) brought India within grasping reach of victory.

Dhoni came to bat in the 12^th over and was his usual self, starting off with singles and settling in while giving the strike to the set batsman (Rahul). A superb penultimate over, in which India made 16 runs, brought the ocassion down to 8 runs from the last six balls and all that stood between the Men in Blue and a win was Dwayne Bravo. Dhoni, who was on strike, got a huge reprieve when Marlon Samuels dropped a sitter on the first ball.

However, consecutive singles of the next three balls and a double on the fifth took the game to the last delivery with India needing two runs and Dhoni on strike. While most thought Dhoni would go for the boundary, he, knowing Bravo would bowl a change of pace delivery, took the safe route but ended up edging the ball to Samuels, who was waiting for redemption and gobbled it up like a hungry bear to give his team a 1-run win and break Indian hearts.

2) Zimbabwe vs India – 1^st T20I, June 18^th, 2016 (Zimbabwe won by 2 runs)

Minnows Zimbabwe shocked India by 1 run

The first T20I of India’s tour of Zimbabwe took place at the Harare Sports Club and MS Dhoni, as usual, won the toss and chose to field. After a rather sedate beginning, Zimbabwe put on the after burners, courtesy Elton Chigumbura (54 not out from 26 balls), to post a strong total of 170 on a wicket that was a bit sticky and two-paced. India’s innings began rather poorly when KL Rahul was dismissed for a golden duck on the first ball of the chase.

Ambati Rayudu (19 from 16) and Mandeep Singh (31 from 27 balls) did some repair work before Manish Pandey (48 from 35 balls) provided necessary momenntum to take India towards victory. Dhoni came in the 13^th over with the team reeling at 90-4 and decided to provide some stability by knocking the ball around. After the dismissal of Manish Pandey, Axar Patel played a lovely knock of 18 from 9 balls to put the game within India’s reach.

The game came down to the last over and India needed 8 runs from 6 balls. Dhoni took a single to give the strike to Patel, who got out to put all the onus on his skipper. The next batsman, Rish Dhawan, succumbed to pressure and after Dhoni took a single on the third delivery, he missed the fourth and took a single off the fifth. Dhoni, needing to hit a boundary off the last ball, was outfoxed by Madziva, who bowled a lovely full delivery outside off-stump to give Zimbabwe a memorable 2-run win.

3) India vs South Africa – 1^st ODI, October 11^th, 2015 (South Africa won by 5 runs)

A splendid spell from Kagiso Rabada stopped MS Dhoni from taking India to victory in Kanpur

The Proteas came to India to play a 5-match ODI series and boasted of the world’s best batting line-up (Indians would not agree) with the likes of Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, David Miller and of course AB de Villiers. South Africa won the toss and chose to bat on a rather dusty wicket in Kanpur's Green Park. Batting first, the Proteas posted a total of 303, courtesy an ABD hundred and half a ton by Faf.

India’s reply was stronger than South Africa’s question as Rohit Sharma, showing his incredibly inning-buiilding ability, put on a 149-run partnership with Ajinkya Rahane (60 from 82 balls) to setup a likely victory. Sharma (150 from 133 balls) got out in the 47^th over with India needing 35 from 23 deliveries and MS Dhoni at the crease. A relatively comfortable run chase turned difficult when Suresh Raina played an ordinary shot to hand his wicket to Imran Tahir.

Dhoni, still at the crease, setup the final over by scoring 10 of the 11 runs in the 49^th from Dale Steyn, leaving India requiring 11 from the last six balls. A young and inexperienced Kagiso Rabada took up the challenge of stopping the greatest chaser in ODI history from taking his team to another victory. Rabada, in his baptism by Dhoni fire, showed incredible skill to prevent the Indian skipper from hitting a boundary and got his wicket on the fifth ball to seal a memorable win for the away side.

4) England vs India – Only T20I, September 7, 2014 (England won by 3 runs)

Dhoni took it upon himself to finish proceedings but could not deliver

India and England played a lone T20I at Edgbaston towards the end of the former's tour of the latter. The home side won the toss and decided to have a bat, handing a debut to opener Jason Roy. India begun the game well by sending back Roy and Moeen Ali within the first four overs to put England on the backfoot. However, the Three Lions recovered well and rode on skipper Eoin Morgan's brilliant 71 from 31 balls to post a total of 180.

Usual suspects Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina went about chasing the total down for India. Kohli scored 66 off 41 balls before getting out in the 15^th over with India’s score being 131-3 and they needed 50 runs from 34. With Dhoni and Raina at the crease, the total looked pretty achievable but the latter’s dismissal in the 17^th over left it all up to the skipper.

Dhoni, like a true magician, took the game to last over for showing the Prestige with India needing 16 runs and Chris Woakes bowling. In what could possibly have been the best thing ever in a run chase, Dhoni hit a six off the first ball to bring the equation to 10 from 5 balls. A double on the next ball, followed by a dot on the third and boundary on the fourth setup a picture perfect climax with India needing 5 from 2 balls. The Indian captain, who was on a DIY (Do It Yourself) mission, made it hard for himself by not taking a single and ended up scoring just one off the last two balls, thereby ending the game in heartbreak for the away side.

5) India vs New Zealand – 2^nd T20I, September 11, 2012 (New Zealand won by 1 run)

MS Dhoni misses a shot against New Zealand

New Zealand and India had to win just one match to claim the two-game T20I series as the first match had been abandoned without a ball being bowled. Playing in his IPL backyard of Chennai, MS Dhoni won the toss and put the Kiwis in for a bat. Marshalling his bowling unit, comprising Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Laxmipathy Balaji and Ravichandran Aswhin, Dhoni managed to restrict New Zealand to just 167 with Brendon McCullum scoring 91 from 55 balls.

A strange batting pair of Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli was sent out for the chase and the former was dismissed in the third over. Kohli, India’s rising batting superstar, scored a fabulous 70 from 41 balls to setup what looked like a certain win for the home side. Yuvraj Singh, the man who had defeated cancer, marked his return with a memorable 34 from 26 balls but it did not prove to be enough.

Dhoni, who came into bat in the 14^th over, played a rather uncharacteristic and slow innings of 22 from 23 balls, which put pressure on other batsmen. The policy of strike rotation was feasible but the lack of boundaries hurt India in the game. India needed 13 off the last over and Dhoni brought it down to 8 from four balls. However, a single on third delivery turned out to be fatal as he remained stranded on the non-striker’s end as India lost by just one run.