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Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a name that is always associated with the top echelons of the cricketing world. Breaking out as a rag-tag, long-haired young wicketkeeper batter from Jharkhand, with an unorthodox batting technique and lightning-fast reflexes with the gloves, Dhoni etched himself into the sport’s folklore as one of the calmest and most reliable presences on the cricketing field.
In his storied career, it is his captaincy that he is most fondly remembered for. Nicknamed ‘Captain Cool’, he always appeared to know what worked against a particular batter or in a particular situation. Praised for his intuition, decision-making, and bold calls, we take a look at three decisions which embody MS Dhoni’s status as the true ‘Captain Cool’.
Here are three genius captaincy moves by MS Dhoni:
The 2007 ICC T20 World Cup was MS Dhoni’s first assignment as captain. Leading a young Indian side missing their big names of the era, he made his mark as a captain by successfully leading the team to the title. Taking on arch-rivals Pakistan in the final at the Wanderers, India put on a competitive 157 for 5 in the 20 overs, with Gautam Gambhir scoring a brilliant 75 at the top of the order.
Pakistan were motoring along with the chance comfortably, and needed 13 runs to win off the final over with one wicket in hand. The ever-relaxed Dhoni handed the ball to seamer Joginder Sharma, who, despite being hit for six, picked up the wicket of the dangerous Misbah-ul-Haq, taking India to the trophy in the inaugural edition of the tournament. This was the moment when Dhoni established himself as a major captaincy candidate for the future.
Up until 2013, Rohit Sharma was regarded as a talented batter without real clarity on where he would play. Considered a hard-hitting middle-order batter, he was unable to establish himself in a side with a plethora of middle-order options. The 2013 Champions Trophy was a pivotal moment for the dashing batter. India was in search of a consistent opener with the retirement of the great Sachin Tendulkar, and it was Dhoni who turned to Rohit as an option at the top.
Dhoni’s decision and hindsight proved vital, with Rohit establishing himself as one of the finest openers in the ODI format, a role which the latter continued across all formats. Under Dhoni’s leadership, Rohit formed a brilliant partnership with Shikhar Dhawan, and with Virat Kohli formed a top-three that could take games away from the opposition single-handedly.
India, in their wait for their first World Cup title since 1983, were taking on Sri Lanka in the final of the 2011 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Chasing 275 to win after Mahela Jayawardene’s stunning century, India found themselves in a spot of bother at 114 for 3, with Kumar Sangakkara holding back the off-spin of Muttiah Muralitharan for the entry of Yuvraj Singh. Dhoni anticipated the ploy and sent himself ahead of Yuvraj, who had been India’s best batter in the tournament, to combat the off-spin threat.
Dhoni, having an under-par tournament with the bat, stabilised the innings with a 109-run partnership with Gautam Gambhir, who fell for a well-made 97. He then took the attack to the Sri Lanka bowlers in the death overs, finishing the game unbeaten on 91, with a six over long on that will forever be etched in the memories of cricket fans all around.
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