Reminiscing 5 of the most destructive innings by an Indian in the last decade

#2 Mahendra Singh Dhoni – 183 not out from 145 balls (ODI) vs Sri Lanka, Jaipur 2005

The limited overs Indian skipper is one of the most feared cricketers in the world at the moment and he comes second in the list with one such reverential performance.

It was the third ODI between India and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka had set a target of 299 runs for the Indians. Chaminda Vaas removed Sachin Tendulkar in the first over and India were in a spot of bother. Enter a long-haired M.S. Dhoni at number 3. He was in his early days. He was new. He was bold.

A testimony of what he was going to elicit in his future, Dhoni went on to shatter a plethora of records by the end of that match on his way to 183 runs from 145 balls. He started his maniac hitting by launching Vaas over the covers, before thwacking Farveez Maharoof for back to back boundaries. Upul Chandana and Tillakaratne Dilshan were taken on as well and except Muralitharan, Dhoni gave special treatment to every other Sri Lankan bowler.

It was a typical unorthodox Dhoni innings, as he jabbed at deliveries outside off and used his bottom hand to score most of his runs. He gave the world a glimpse of his power, piling 10 sixes in total, at a time, when boundaries were longer, and batting used to be challenging.

Dhoni’s 183 remains one of the most enthralling ODI innings by an Indian in modern limited overs cricket.