MS Dhoni's five best ODI knocks as non-captain

Possessing a long, flowing mane with golden streaks and a homemade batting technique that was unlovely yet effective, MS Dhoni, the non-captain, seems to be a memory from a different era altogether. He used to club bowlers at will, throwing his bat around like Thor’s Mjolnir before captaincy made him unobtrusive and measured.

The clock has been turned back, and Dhoni is back to being a pure wicket-keeper batsman. Against England, at Cuttack, the Dhoni of old struck one of his biggest ODI scores, trampling over the tourists the way he used to a decade back. His 134, his first ton since October 2013, was enough to dispel arguments about his value as a 35-year old in the limited overs squad.

Let us rewind the clock further and revisit some of Dhoni’s best knocks when captaincy was not on his shoulders:

#5 72* vs Pakistan, Lahore (2005)

A long haired Dhoni, golden locks and all, got a new fan in Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who broke protocol and asked the stumper not to cut his mane ever during the post-match ceremony of an India-Pakistan ODI. Hours before, Dhoni had made Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq pull all his hair out in frustration by making a mockery out of a tight chase.

The short ball thudded to the square leg boundary, full balls found their way to the sightscreen and the cameraman’s favourite pastime became zooming in on the forlorn faces of the Pakistani bowlers. In 46 balls, Dhoni helped construct a remarkable chase, unflustered by the target, or the arch-rivals, showing his nerves of steels along with Yuvraj, his partner in crime.

Dhoni and Yuvraj were in a playful mood in the middle, unmindful of the steep run rates during their partnership of 102 off just 79 balls. At one point, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan seemed to have lost his length completely, feeding Dhoni short balls, three of which were consecutively sent to the fence.

By this time, there were no doubts about Dhoni’s ability as a future top finisher.

#4 91* vs Bangladesh, Dhaka (2007)

Months ago, the Indian team had gone through one of its darkest phases with a first-round exit at the hands of minnows Bangladesh. For MS Dhoni, a five-ball duck was a big dent to his reputation to rise to the occasion as a batsman. Things had to be forgotten quickly, and the best way was to score big and get the confidence back.

He later conceded that the World Cup exit had had a big impact on his mind. Post this knock, there was a different Dhoni to see, not carefree but measured, even in his aggressive strokes.

Batting first, the Bangladesh team put on 250, riding on Javed Omar’s 80 and a young Shakib Al Hasan’s half century. In reply, the team stumbled to 63-3, with Dhoni on one end, with little support from the middle order. In the end, it came down to another wicketkeeper, Dinesh Karthik, to finally usurp the total.

#3 96 vs England, Jamshedpur (2006)

Virender Sehwag and MS Dhoni as openers is stuff of dreams, one which turned into reality during India’s fixture against England at Jamshedpur in 2006. There was no contribution from any of the top order batsmen, yet Dhoni motored along, finding some much-needed support in Ramesh Powar, who helped himself to his maiden fifty. At 79-5, India didn’t look good enough to even touch the 200 mark, but Dhoni, with a 96 that contained 10 fours and three sixes, helped them reach 223.

The sapping heat and humidity added to his woes, but Dhoni fought ahead, even wearing an ice pack on his back.

#2 183* vs Sri Lanka, Jaipur (2005)

“Dhoni’s Diwali Dhamaka” screamed the headlines next day as India found a new power hitter who had, in one innings, almost challenged more than a handful of ODI records. The Jaipur stadium, which, just six months ago was a barren land, had become part of history as Dhoni slammed the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs, a record that still stands.

Coming in at 7-1, with Sachin Tendulkar out early, and 292 more to get, Dhoni seemed to be in his elements from the word go. He warmed up with a few scorching hits to the off side to Chaminda Vaas, before shifting gears completely, an assault that demolished the spinners. Upul Chandana was treated like a nets bowler, Farveez Maharoof and Dilhara Fernando’s deliveries were introduced to new corners of the ground and the fielders were given some major cardio sessions.

He ended the target with a huge six to long on, his tenth six of the innings.

#1 148 vs Pakistan, Visakhapatnam (2005)

Before this match, his last four ODI scored read 0, 12, 7* and 3. A poor start to his career gave his critics all the more fuel to bash his unconventional technique. He seemed to be one match away from losing his place, when he conjured one of the most remarkable pieces of aggressive batting by a newbie, smashing a whirlwind 148 against Pakistan to announce himself on the big stage.

Lofted drives off leg spinners sailed for six, the slightest widths were slapped past point and off-spinners were dispatched to different seat numbers inside the stands. A jubilant celebration showed how vital the knock was to prove himself, and he did it in blazing fashion.