August 18 I New Delhi
With Dhoni taking retirement from the international cricketing format, let’s eye some of the legendary cricketer’s all-time great match-finishes that were delivered in crucial last overs and led India to its historical victories.
2009: India VS West Indies at St. Lucia
At no.-3 is the 3rd ODI match that took place at St. Lucia, which was resumed post the rain showers at Gros Islet in St Lucia on July 3, 2009. While West Indies scored 186/7 in the given 27 overs, India on the other hand was to chase the altered target of 159 runs off 22 overs. Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik together scored 84 runs in the opening before Karthik got out. Post the wicket, Dhoni took it all upon himself when he came to bat at the 3rd spot and made 46 run on 34 balls without knocking out.
West Indies put up a tough fight by pulling wickets as India inched closer to the victory. In the last over when only 11 runs were required for the win, Jerome Taylor was bowling while Yusuf Pathan was in the crease to face the ball. With Pathan’s quick run on a leg by, Dhoni got back to the striking end. And in one of the few, last nail-biting balls Dhoni successfully smashed a six on Jerome Taylor’s delivery, which made the win obvious for India.
This was probably the first game where Dhoni exhibited his proficiency in finishing games in last over.
2011: India Vs Sri Lanka in Mumbai, ICC Cricket World Cup Final
This match became the testimony to Dhoni’s leadership and earned him the title of ‘man for the crisis’.
During this worldly event in cricket, India had to chase 275 runs to claim the title. Early in the game, India lost its crucial wickets in--Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.
Then came Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir on the field who took the game to the score of 114 in 22nd over, which was followed by the wicket of the former player. With Kohli’s wicket, the title became an equal possibility for both the teams.
Though Yuvraj was performing well in the series, still Dhoni decided to bat at no.-5th slot. Dhoni started with singles and gradually paced up runs from off-side with ease.
Bowlers—Muralitharan and Randiv had no clue to restrict runs from Dhoni’s end. As India inched closer to victory, Gambhir’s wicket was taken. Gambhir’s ouster brought pressure to the team but Dhoni maintained his composure.
With the huge six over the long-on, Dhoni ended the chase and brought the prestigious world cup title after 28 long years.
2013: India Vs Australia in Nagpur
At the top spot is the 6th ODI of the 7-match series which occurred between India and Australia in Nagpur at the VCA Stadium. The match holds significance in cricket history for 4 centuries made in the game. Team India was at 290/5 in 42.5 over when Dhoni came to bat at the crease alongside Kohli, who had then scored 115* runs.
Dhoni and Kohli had built the crucial score of 61 runs in partnership and were after the last 6 runs needed in the final over.
It was James Faulkner bowling the final over while Dhoni was at the striking end.
At James’ first ball, Dhoni missed the serve while he went for a big hit. And it was a low- full-outside-the-off stump delivery by James when Dhoni made a strike through the gap between the cover and backward point to score. Following the scoring delivery was an overthrow which got India 2 runs for the big victory.
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Reference:
https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1280883/featured
https://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/ms-dhonis-11-unforgettable-finishes-in-odis-505705
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/news/top-five-last-over-finishes-by-dhoni-to-win-the-match-for-india/articleshow/77565780.cms