5 instances which prove that MS Dhoni is a genius

#3 World Cup 2011 - Promoting himself up the order

2011 ICC World Cup Final - MS Dhoni promoted himself up the order

It was the 2nd of April 2011, 1.25 billion people were on their feet. Some were cheering, some praying and the rest were biting off their nails. A fascinating blend of emotions - fear, excitement, hope, and happiness.

The city of Mumbai, which is always on the run, seemed to have halted and all eyes were fixed on just one location - Wankhede stadium, where it was the mighty Indians taking on the gritty Sri Lankans in the 2011 World Cup finals.

Sri Lanka had set a stiff target of 275. India started off poorly losing the opening pair of Sehwag and Sachin for a score of just 31. The two Delhi boys Kohli and Gambhir pulled things back slightly with an 83-run stand but Sri Lanka again struck with the wicket of Kohli.

Yuvraj Singh, who was in sublime form, was expected to come next but to everyone's surprise, it was the captain MS Dhoni who promoted himself up the order for a couple of reasons -

1. To maintain a left-hand right-hand combination with Gambhir on the crease. Dhoni is a strong believer in this batting combination as it makes it difficult for opposition bowlers to settle.

2. Although Yuvraj was in a great form, his weakness against right arm off spin is well studied by the opposition. With the maestro Muttiah Muralitharan in the attack, Dhoni was reluctant to let Yuvraj face him.

With the match-winning knock of 91* Dhoni lead India to a historic win.