Happy Birthday MS Dhoni: Mahendra Singh Dhoni turns 41 today July 7. The former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman is one of the most popular cricketers India has ever witnessed, and his list of special and iconic moments is etched in the history books. MS Dhoni, during his playing career, was initially an explosive batsman and later on went on to become one of the greatest captains in the history of cricket. Here are some of the most iconic moments the Ranchi-based cricketer gave us over the years:
- 2007 World T20 Final: Where it all began! Indian team, under new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was a team full of potential players and youngsters, with a mixture of few senior players. India went on to the final much to the opposite of what was expected of them and met Pakistan in the final, whom they defeated in the Super 6 stage earlier. Pakistan, on the back of Misbah-Ul-Haq, were inching near the inaugural trophy until Mahi played his trump card, by bringing on Joginder Sharma in the final over and what happened after was iconic, Misbah hitting a scoop shot over short fine leg off Joginder Sharma and Sreesanth taking the catch. India won the World T20I by 5 runs. Ravi Shastri’s commentary was also one of the most iconic lines ever broadcasted, “In the air… Sreesanth... takes it, India win. Unbelievable scenes here….”
- 2008 Commonwealth Bank Series: Australia were the current World Champions back then and India didn’t even make it to the knock-out stage in the 2007 World Cup. Australia were the heavy favourites, whereas finalists Sri Lanka were looking strong as well. Mahi’s India had other plans as his first Australian tour as a captain led India to an unbelievable victory over Australia and won the Commonwealth Bank Series title.
- Number 1 Test Side: On 6th December 2009, India became the No. 1 ranking for the first time in the ICC Test rankings history. India defeated Sri Lanka by an innings defeat, at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium. The M.S. Dhoni-led were in impeccable form as they achieved the feat with their 4th consecutive series victory.
- 2011 World Cup: Probably the biggest iconic moment of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s cricketing career, the Dhoni-led side won the World Cup after 28 years, by defeating Sri Lanka in a brilliant World Cup final. Chasing 275, India lost both its openers at 31. The Gautam Gambhir-M.S. Dhoni show guided India to a legendary feat as Gambhir’s 97 and M.S. Dhoni’s unbeaten 91 did the job. Promoting himself above an in-form Yuvraj Singh was a big ask and Dhoni played one of the best innings of his life. Dhoni struck Nuwan Kulasekara for a six at long on when India needed 4 off 11 balls and millions of Indian fans rejoiced as India won the World Cup. Ravi Shastri’s iconic line will be remembered by the fans, “Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd. India lift the World Cup after 28 years. The party started in the dressing room and it’s been an Indian captain who’s been absolutely magnificent on the night of the final.”
- ICC Champions Trophy 2013: India was coming off a disappointing English tour in 2011 and was facing much more adversities in Australia in 2011-12. The form wasn’t much convincing in the year 2012 as they ended the year with a series defeat to Pakistan on home soil and things were looking rough for the Indian side coming into the Champions Trophy. But Mahi’s masterful brain had other plans as he invented probably one of the most iconic opening pairs in cricketing history, in the form of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, which not only gave them a fresh start and rejuvenated their careers but also made them Modern Era’s one of the greats. India faced England in the final once again, it was Mahi’s improvisation and adaptation at its finest as he read the game and situation, as India defeated England by 5 runs as Ishant Sharma turned the game in the 18th over with two wickets, and Ashwin defended off 15 runs in the final over successfully. This victory made Dhoni the only captain in the history of cricket to lift all the ICC trophies.