On This Day in 2011: MS Dhoni helps India whitewash ENG in ODI series
While Indians all around the globe indulge in celebrating the festival of light, the date 25th of October comes with utter significance in their cricketing history as it was on this day in 2011, when India handed England their second successive series whitewash on Indian soil.
MS Dhoni’s India took on England in the fifth and final ODI of the series with hopes of making it five wins on the trot in the series. The visitors won the toss on a tricky surface in Kolkata and decided to bowl first. Alastair Cook was left to rue his decision as the Indian openers, Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane, provided the hosts a solid start in the series finale.
But Gambhir’s dismissal triggered a mini-collapse as India lost three wickets on the score of 80. Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, and Ravindra Jadeja played handy little cameos, but it was the mercurial Indian skipper MS Dhoni, who played match-defining innings of 75* runs to take India to a competitive total of 271 runs in their 50 overs.
The game was in the balance at the halfway stage, but it took England only 20 overs to boost their chances of avoiding a whitewash as Cook, and his opening partner Craig Kieswetter were destined to make a mockery of this target. However, Varun Aaron ended their assault with a fiery delivery that cleaned up the English skipper.
Kieswetter followed suit in the very next over as Ravindra Jadeja pinned him in front of the wicket. The visitors were still in a commanding position, despite the loss of the set openers. That is when the spin twins Jadeja and Ashwin weaved their magic in the middle overs, assisted by part-timers Raina and Tiwary.
England’s first wicket fell on the score of 129 runs, and their next nine followed for just 47 runs as the English batters surrendered meekly, handing India a comprehensive victory by 95 runs. Jadeja was named the player of the match for his all-round efforts as he scored a handy 21 with the bat before tormenting the English batters with exceptional bowling figures of 4/33 in his eight overs.
India completed a 5-0 whitewash against the visitors with this win, and Dhoni was named the player of the series for his batting heroics throughout the five games. The influential leader amassed 212 runs in the series without being dismissed even once.
