4 times MS Dhoni helped India achieve a respectable total

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On Sunday, as the Indian team was taking on Sri Lanka in the first ODI, everybody was expecting them to dominate the same way they had dominated the Test series. But what happened was exactly opposite. The Indian batting line up fell like a house of cards. At one stage, it looked like as if the host team would not even be able to cross the three-digit mark.

Then, like many other times, came MS Dhoni to the rescue of the team. He played a dependable innings of 65 runs and was the only Indian batsman who seemed to middle the ball. As a result of this innings, the Indian team was able to achieve a score of 112 runs in 38.2 overs.

With captain Kohli not playing the ODI series, this was a warning for the host team that the road ahead is not going to be easy. If it would not have been for Dhoni, the team would have struggled badly.

This was not the first time when MS Dhoni played the ‘Mr. Dependable’ for the team. Here are some instances when the ex-captain helped India in scoring a respectable total:

#4. India vs Australia, 2013

This was the third ODI of Australia’s tour of India in 2013. Both teams had won one match each and this match was a crucial one as it would give the winning team the upper hand. The Indian team was struggling at a score of 76/3 in 13 overs when MS Dhoni came out. Only Virat Kohli was looking in good touch among the top-order batsmen.

In such conditions, MS Dhoni helped team India achieve a total of 303/9 in 50 overs with a staggering individual score of 139 of just 121 balls. He led from the front and the Australian bowlers were almost helpless against him.

The captain took off to a slow start and accelerated his innings towards the end. This was another example of a captain’s innings.

#3 India vs West Indies, 2009

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This was the second ODI of India’s tour of the West Indies in 2009. The first two overs marked the falling of the first three wickets, with Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma out for ducks.

The team kept struggling and even before they could reach the three-figure mark, five more wickets had fallen down. It was MS Dhoni who kept standing at one end and watched the wickets fall down at the other.

He constructed a partnership with RP Singh of 101 runs for the ninth wicket and helped India achieve a score of 188/10 in 48.2 overs. He scored 95 runs off 130 balls and helped the team in scoring a respectable total.

Although he fell short of what would have been a very well-deserved century, it was because of his hard-fought innings that the Indian team achieved a respectable total.

#2 India vs Pakistan, December 30, 2012

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This was the first of the three ODIs that were to be played between the two teams. It was the first time that the team was playing after the retirement of Sachin Tendulkar and the team seemed to miss him.

The first ten overs were all about Pakistan’s bowling attack as India found themselves struggling at a score of 29/5, with Junaid Khan picking up four of those wickets. The Indian batsmen seemed to be standing at the crease absolutely clueless.

Then came MS Dhoni, who played an innings of 113 runs off 125 balls. He remained not out and helped India in reaching a score of 227/6 in 50 overs with a little help from Suresh Raina and R Ashwin. However, as a result of a brilliant hundred by Nasir Jamshed, India ended up losing the match.

#1 India vs England, Cuttack, 2017

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This was the second ODI of England’s tour of India, 2016-17. India had lost the first three wickets at a score of just 25 runs by the fifth over. Then came MS Dhoni in the middle and joined Yuvraj Singh, who was making a comeback to the team.

Soon, it was clear that the crowd of Cuttack were in for a feast as the iconic duo of Yuvi-Mahi started playing their shots. MS Dhoni constructed a partnership of 256 runs with Yuvraj Singh for the fourth wicket and both the players scored centuries.

It was because of these performances that India went on to score a monumental total of 381 runs in 50 overs. Dhoni scored a huge score of 134 runs off 122 balls and hit six sixes during the course of the innings.

On the other end, Yuvraj Singh scored his career best of 150 runs with the help of 21 fours and 3 sixes. It was an absolute delight for the fans as they saw the pair who won the world cup for them playing together again, and in the kind of form that they displayed in their best days.

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Edited by Anuradha Santhanam