Birthday special: MS Dhoni – A finisher for the ages

He approached every run chase with serene calmness and made calculative assaults on the opposition, switching between aggression and caution. And, in a career that lasted a decade and a half, MS Dhoni etched his name as one of the greatest finishers that the game of cricket has ever seen. If his excellent leadership and his lightning speed behind the stumps was not enough, Dhoni was a phenomenon with the bat.

Let us dig into some numbers to understand the prowess of Dhoni when he is involved in a run chase that has resulted in a win for India in ODI cricket. The table below will elucidate the same.

MS Dhoni’s career average is 50.57, but he averages more than double, a staggering 102.71 in a win in a run chase for the Indian side. He has also scored 2 hundreds and 20 fifties in a win for India in a chase as well.

And, Dhoni has played some scintillating innings in a run chase. His murderous 183* against Sri Lanka in October 2005 will go down as one of the greatest innings played by an Indian batsman in an ODI run chase. In a 145-ball knock, Dhoni plundered 15 fours and a staggering 10 sixes to help India make light work of a target of 299.

Also, the 72* that he scored against India’s arch-rivals Pakistan, in 2006 is another memory that will not fade away. Chasing a target of 289, the Indian side was reeling at 190/5, and that was when Dhoni came out and absolutely hammered the Pakistan bowling attack. The batting legend blasted a 46-ball 72* to steer India to a five-wicket victory.

And of course, Dhoni’s historic 91* in the summit clash of the 2011 World Cup against Sri Lanka allowed India to lift the World Cup after nearly three decades.

Even in the IPL, Dhoni has displayed his prowess with the willow in a chase. His brutal assault that rendered Irfan Pathan helpless in Dharamshala, allowing the Chennai side to chase down a target of 193, his 34-ball 70* that helped the Chennai Super Kings chase down 206 against the Bangalore outfit are two innings that will be etched in the sands of time forever.

MS Dhoni might have walked away from international cricket on 15^th August 2020, but the countless memories that he provided to the fans will stay with them in their hearts forever. And surely, Dhoni is a one-of-a-kind finisher in the history of limited-overs cricket. And, as the great man turns 40 today, here is wishing him a very happy birthday.