5 best MS Dhoni knocks in T20Is

Despite all the hype and media attention around this India vs England T20 series, one thing that seems to have gone under the radar is that, if MS Dhoni is planning on retiring from international cricket after the 2019 World Cup (which is what the assumption is), then this will be his farewell T20 international series.

Dhoni, who was India's first captain in the format, has played a pivotal role in India becoming a T20 superpower, and he has been in the T20 squad since India started playing the format. To honour the T20 international player Dhoni, this slideshow looks at five of his best performances in the format in India colours.

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#5 36(18) vs Australia (ICC World T20, Durban, 2007)

Because of how low Dhoni bats in the order, a common trend across his significant innings is that the statistics do not necessarily reflect the importance of those innings to the team; this innings of his against Australia is no different.

In a high-pressure semi-final against an Australian side consisting of Gilchrist, Hayden, Symonds, Hussey, and several other world-class players, Dhoni was, as usual, tasked with finishing the innings.

The stage had been set for him by Yuvraj Singh, who had played a blistering knock of 70. But Dhoni's valuable contribution down the order took the Indian total from being a good one to a great one, an important difference given the magnitude of the situation and the quality of opposition they were up against.

Over the course of his innings, Dhoni managed to hit four boundaries and one cracking six, but what was as important as the boundaries in this innings was his communication, running between the wickets, and partnership with Yuvi, something that would go on to help the Indian side on many occasions in the future as well.

This innings also had an important role in lifting the morale of the team in the match: it made them believe that they could beat the team that had just won three world cups in a row, and under Dhoni's leadership, they went on to do just that.

#4 33(23) vs Pakistan (Pakistan Tour of India, Ahmedabad, 2012)

This innings of Dhoni, while not extremely big, highlights an important ability of his that he exhibited on several occasions throughout the course of his career: the ability to build a big partnership and lead the team to victory.

Walking in at 88 for 3 in a high-stakes bilateral series against Pakistan, Dhoni was able to do what Dhoni does best: he accumulated runs by running hard and occasionally hitting boundaries, and by doing so he was able to build a big partnership with the batsman at the other end (Yuvraj Singh, in this case) at a good rate with virtually taking no risk. This ability of Dhoni's made him a master of the middle overs, and it is this same ability that enabled India to make 192 in the first innings in that game. They went on to win that game comfortably, and Dhoni's contribution in that cannot be discounted.

#3 56(36) vs England (England Tour of India, Bangalore, 2017)

This innings, in addition to being Dhoni's maiden fifty in the format, was characteristic of Dhoni's resilience, thick skin, and tough mental character. This was the series in which Dhoni had relinquished the captaincy and handed over the reigns to Virat Kohli. Critics were questioning Dhoni's place in the side, now that he was no longer captain. They were saying he was too old, his batting was too slow, and he was not suited to the T20 game anymore.

Promoted up the order, walking in at 65 for 2, Dhoni made the most of the opportunity and hit back at his critics with a wonderfully compiled 56. It seemed as if relinquishing the captaincy had just liberated him once again to play his natural free-flowing game, and he looked as if nothing the critics had said had got to him.

While in the plethora of Dhoni's marvels this innings may not stand out, it is special because it reminded critics, fans, and selectors of Dhoni's resilience and the fact that his international career was not close to finished.

#2 45 (33) vs South Africa (ICC World T20, Durban, 2007)

While the statistics may not reflect the significance of this innings, it surely was one that helped India knock South Africa out of the tournament and proceed to the next stage. The situation when the Dhoni came in was rather dire for India: batting first, they were on 61 for 4 in 10.3 overs against a deadly South African side in a knockout game.

Dhoni, along with Rohit Sharma, was able to string together an integral 85-run partnership. and steer India to a competitive total (at that time) of 153. This was not the characteristic Dhoni innings laden with boundaries and sixes, but instead, it showed that with leadership, he had acquired a sense of maturity. Dhoni initially focused on settling down and steadying the ship, and eventually, he was able to guide India to what would turn out to be a match-winning total.

On that day, he did what he would go on to do countless more times in his career: he bailed his team out of a sticky situation and led them to a victory.

#1 46(28) vs Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka Tour of India, 2012, Mohali)

In the year 2012, a total of 206 was simply never chased. It just was not a done thing. However, Dhoni's ability to get a move on without taking risks and his ability to build partnerships (both mentioned elsewhere in the slideshow as well) once again led India to complete a chase that would have otherwise seemed impossible.

Coming in at 58 for 1 after six overs, promoting himself up to number 3, Dhoni was able to play second fiddle in two extremely key partnerships: first, with Virender Sehwag, he put up a crucial 50-run stand, and then, more importantly, he was able to string together an 80-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh. On both occasions, even though Dhoni was playing second fiddle, his calming presence and influence on his teammates enabled them to play freely. Further, he was not just a quiet spectator, as his 46-run innings consisted of three boundaries and two sixes. This innings, just like many of Dhoni's other innings, may not stick out when looked at purely from a number's perspective. However, just like the impact of Dhoni himself, the impact of his innings cannot be measured by mere numbers and statistics.