5 reasons why MS Dhoni is the most selfless cricketer

Undoubtedly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the greatest players India have ever produced. He has been a crowd favorite ever since he made his international debut with long hair.

When Dhoni was made skipper in 2007, Indians were suspect about how he would fare as skipper. But, the MS Dhoni-led Indian team lifted the inaugural edition of Twenty20 International World Cup that was held in South Africa in 2007.

The Ranchi-born cricketer has won several trophies and became one of the successful captains in the history of cricket. He has also been one of the greatest finishers in the world cricket.

MS Dhoni has shown an enormous amount of selfless acts on the field over the years. Here are some instances which prove his selflessness towards the game.

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#5 Handing over the captaincy to former skipper Sourav Ganguly

Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni (R

The incident happened during the fourth test between India and Australia in Nagpur in 2008. It was also the final Test game for former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly.

Batting first, India scored 441 in their first innings where Tendulkar top scored with 109 and in reply, Australia made 355 runs where Katich top scored with 102 runs.

With a lead of 86 runs, India played their second innings and were bundled out for 295 where Sehwag top scored with 92. While chasing the huge total, Australia managed to score just 209 runs and lost the game by 172 runs.

But, the special moment is when India required 1 wicket to win, MS Dhoni convinced Sourav Ganguly to captain the team before retiring from the game. Absolutely, it was a great gesture from MS Dhoni to send off a legend.

#4 Handing over the Champions Trophy to Ravindra Jadeja

England v India: Final - ICC Champions Trophy

The Champions Trophy 2013 which was held in England was a great chance to the young Indian team. Despite no big names in the squad, the whole pressure was on skipper MS Dhoni. The youngsters used their opportunity very well and helped their team to register a victory in the final against Alastair Cook-led England team by 5 runs.

The then-Indian skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni as soon as received the Champions Trophy, he immediately gave to Ravindra Jadeja. The left-arm spinner, Ravindra Jadeja was one of the key players for India during the Champions Trophy 2013. He picked up 12 wickets in 5 games that he played, at an economy of 3.75.

#3 Allowing Virat Kohli to hit the winning runs

In the semi-final of 2014 T20 World Cup, batting first, the Proteas posted a huge total of 172 runs on the board. In reply, Virat Kohli smashed the South African bowlers. While the match was getting closer, Suresh Raina got out when 6 runs were required off 9 balls.

In the 4th ball of the 19th over, Kohli smashed a boundary and could manage to take a single off the fifth ball. While MS Dhoni was on strike, India needed 1 run off 7 deliveries and Kohli was sad that he could not hit the winnings runs.

Everyone was expecting the winning run from Dhoni. He could have hit it anywhere but he pushed it into the on-side and had a smile at Kohli. On the very next ball, Kohli smashed a boundary over extra cover to register the victory. This was a selfless decision from MS Dhoni.

#2 MS Dhoni called Virat Kohli to collect the Celkon Cup 2013

CRICKET-TRI-IND-SRI

The Indian team played the tri-series along with Sri Lanka and West Indies in the Caribbean soil in 2013. With MS Dhoni got injured during the series, the stand-in skipper Virat Kohli led the Indian team to the finals.

However, MS Dhoni was declared fit ahead of the final game and captained the Indian team against Sri Lanka in the finals. Batting first, Sri Lanka managed to score just 202 runs and in reply, India were struggling and needed 15 runs in the last over with one wicket in hand.

MS Dhoni smashed a couple of sixes and a boundary to seal the tri-series. He was asked to collect the trophy but he invited Kohli to collect the trophy as he captained almost all the matches. It was a great gesture from the former skipper which proves his selflessness.

#1 Dhoni post a series win

INDIAN-TEAM-WITH-TROPHY

Under Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian team have won many tournaments and series. After the end of the series, the winning team gets into a group picture with the trophy which is presented to the captain during the post-presentation ceremony.

After winning the trophies, he has a habit of handling the trophies to the teammates. The former Indian skipper won many trophies as captain but he used to celebrate in the background while clicking the team photo.