Top 10 overseas ODI knocks by Indian captains in the history of the game

#9 MS Dhoni – 44* vs Australia (Adelaide - 2012)\

We often associate Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a cool and calm customer and on 12th February 2012, he showed the world why. After having been whitewashed in the Test series (4-0), India lost one and won one game in the first two matches of the CB Tri-series.

India’s third game of the tri-series was at the Adelaide Oval against hosts Australia (whom they had lost the first game of the series too). The Indian bowling attack did well to restrict the Aussies to 269. In reply, India were off to a good start but they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. India were 178/4 when skipper MS Dhoni walked into bat and with not a lot of batting to come, he chose to play the waiting game.

He looked to rotate the strike as much as possible. He played second fiddle to Suresh Raina (38) who was batting well and kept giving him the strike. However, Raina’s dismissal meant the pressure started to mount on Dhoni with 31 required off 23 balls. It eventually came down to 13 of the final over.

Ashwin who was on strike missed the first ball and then took a single off the second ball and that brought the equation to 12 runs off 4 balls. At that stage, it seemed that the Indian skipper had left it a little too late, but Dhoni hit a monstrous six over long-on (clearing one of the longest boundaries in Australia with ease) and then completed the run-chase with a two (off a no-ball) and a three.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni once again proved why he is the best finisher in world cricket.