Occasions when MS Dhoni proved that he is the true gentleman of Cricket 

MS Dhoni exhibited his sportsmanship on many occasions
MS Dhoni exhibited his sportsmanship on many occasions

If cricket is a gentleman's game, then MS Dhoni is that gentleman. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a name associated with glories, accolades, selflessness and uncountable tales of wisdom.

From a young colt with long hair who was famed for his destructive stroke-play, to a formidable leader who transitioned Team India, ushering in a sense of tranquility; the journey of MS Dhoni has been one to cherish for the ages.

While Dhoni always stressed on 'winning big', he also stressed on 'winning fair'. He never adopted any unscrupulous means to edge over his opponents, and always played the game in its true spirit and integrity.

Hailed as 'Captain Cool', he always ushered a sense of tranquility on the field, and maintains his trademark smile on the face even after a loss. It is his sportsmanship, that Dhoni is one of the most loved cricketers globally.

Let's go through some of these incidents when MS Dhoni proved that he is the true gentleman of cricket:.


#7 Overruling the Wide delivery in a crunch chase

Dhoni showed great sportsmanship in a crunch situation
Dhoni showed great sportsmanship in a crunch situation

CSK and SRH met each other in a crucial encounter at the Chepauk in the 2013 season of the Indian Premier League. The teams were midway through the tournament, and both the teams had 10 points each in their kitty.

Chennai were required to chase 160 for victory, and while things started off well, a middle order collapse led Dhoni at the centre of another crunch chase. The skipper kept his calm and took the game till the last over, where 15 runs were needed.

A wide, followed by a dot and a huge six left CSK with 8 to get in 4. At this moment, Dhoni edged the ball for a boundary down the leg side, which was signaled wide by the umpire, bringing the equation to 3 off 4.

While anybody would have favorably accepted the situation, MSD pointed at his bat, indicating he had hit the ball and it was not wide. This was an act of great integrity, in the midst of a crisis. Like he most often does, Dhoni finished the game with a boundary and took his team across the line with two balls to spare.

#6 Giving Virat Kohli the opportunity to finish the ICC World T20 2014 Semi-Final

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Virat Kohli was in scintillating touch in the ICC World T20 2014, and was one of the driving forces to India's journey till the semi-final. India faced a mighty South Africa in the semis, who set a 173 target for India to claim a spot in the final.

As usual, run-machine Virat Kohli was at his imperious best in a chase, hitting a fiery 43-ball-68, making the scores level at 18.5 overs. At that point, the strike was with captain Dhoni, who has a penchant to finish the proceedings with a maximum.

However, Dhoni nudged the ball gently, and smiled back at Kohli, giving him the chance to finish the innings. Kohli finished the game with a beautiful boundary. Captain Cool later said in the post-match presentation that this was the best that he had to offer to Virat.


#5 Sending Virat Kohli to collect the Celkon Tri-Series Cup 2013

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2013 was a highly successful year for India. After whitewashing Australia 4-0 in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India won the Champions Trophy in England. The team straight away headed to Jamaica for the tri-series against Sri Lanka and West Indies.

India lost the first two matches, and Dhoni was forced to miss the remaining group matches due to a hamstring injury. This was when Virat Kohli led India for the first time, and powered the side to the finals.

MSD returned to the squad for a final and played a match-winning knock of 45* from 52 balls to hand India a thrilling 1-wicket victory. However, in the post-match presentation, when he was called to collect the trophy, he pushed Virat forward. Kohli asked Dhoni to join him, post which the two jointly collected the award.

#4 Departing on Brian Lara's admittance

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This incident dates back to the period when MS Dhoni was in his embryonic phase, sporting long hair and having an audacious aura surrounding him. India took on West Indies at their backyard in the first Test match of the 2006 tour.

MS Dhoni walked in to bat in the second innings by the time India had nullified the first innings lead of the Caribbeans and required to score some quick runs to force a result. And MSD did just that, hitting the bowlers all around the park. He deposited the ball into the stands on six occasions, and in a bid to emulate the feat for the seventh time, he hit the ball in the hands of Daren Ganga, but it seemed that he had stepped onto the ropes.

The next 15 minutes were filled with confusion and chaos, with the third umpire not giving any verdict. It was that captain Brian Lara walked to Dhoni and said, "I'm taking the charge of my players, and 'I think you should walk off. What they say is going to be the truth." It was then that young Dhoni decided to walk off the crease, keeping faith on the legend's integrity and reinstating smooth conduct of affairs once again.

#3 Recalling Ian Bell after controversial run-out

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In the second Test match of the 2011 series against England at Lord's, MS Dhoni exhibited a great sense of sportsmanship as he called England's Ian Bell back after he was run out in one of the strangest fashions.

Eoin Morgan directed the delivery of Ishant Sharma towards the boundary, which was put into play by Praveen Kumar, who went outside the ropes in an effort to save the ball. This being the last ball before tea, the batsmen felt that the ball had gone for a boundary and started walking off the ground. However, Kumar threw the ball back which was collected by Abhinav Mukund, who dislodged the bails, appealing for the run-out.

The umpires consulted the third umpire, who ruled Bell out. However, everyone was amazed to see Bell walking back to bat post tea, as the appeal was withdrawn by MS Dhoni. Dhoni went on to receive the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award at a ceremony in London the next month for his sportsman spirit.

#2 Handing the captaincy to Sourav Ganguly in his last Test

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Sourav Ganguly was one of the greatest captains of India, who instilled a fighting spirit in the team, taking the reins after the spot-fixing scandal at the turn of the millennium. It was during his tenure as captain, that Dhoni made his debut into the Indian squad. Ironically, Ganguly ended up playing his last match under the captaincy of Dhoni at Nagpur against the Australians.

On the fifth day of the Test, when victory seemed inevitable, Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Dada. At first, he relented. However, when Aussies were 9 down, Dhoni once again offered the role to Ganguly.

This time, he accepted the offer and made bowling changes and field placements for three overs. It was indeed, a respectful gesture by MSD to one of the most successful captains of India, and he won many hearts by this special act.

#1 Assisting Faf du Plessis during cramps

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This incident occurred during the fifth ODI between India and South Africa at the Wankhede, Mumbai, which was a series decider. Though the South African batsman were on great song, hot and humid weather was taking a toll on their bodies, with players constantly suffering from cramps. Same was the case with Faf du Plessis. He was in excruciating pain by the time he reached his hundred. Hence, he tried hitting a few strokes to maintain the flow of runs.

In one such attempt, du Plessis got a horrible cramp on his legs and screamed out in pain. Dhoni immediately recognized the urgency of the situation and immediately went to du Plessis' assistance, before the Protea medical team arrived.

In a situation when any captain would have been stressed due to the mounting pressure and take the break in gameplay as a welcome sight to make new plans, MSD went to Faf's assistance, without wasting a second. This speaks volumes about his spirit and values for his competitors.

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Edited by Abhinav Munshi