On This Day: MS Dhoni Slams Maiden Century 15 Years Ago Against Pakistan

Exactly 15 years ago, on 5th April 2005, MS Dhoni registered his first-ever century in international cricket, against Pakistan, in the second ODI of the six-match series. The match between these two arch-rivals was played at the Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

The home team winning the toss, decided to bat first, although they lost Sachin Tendulkar early, in the fourth over itself, and out came Dhoni to steady the ship. Alongside Virender Sehwag, the two Indian batsmen wreaked havoc on the Pakistani bowlers, putting up a 96-run stand together.

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MS Dhoni scored a 148-run match-winning knock:

Sehwag scored his fifty soon but was sent back to the pavilion after a brilliant 74-run knock. Rahul Dravid came out to bat subsequently and played a big part in the 149-run partnership alongside Dhoni.

The wicket-keeper batsman Dhoni smashed 15 fours and four sixes, as he romped to a total of 148 runs, off just 123 balls, helping India register a target of 356 for nine in their fifty overs. Ashish Nehra then starred for the Men in Blue, and courtesy of his four wickets, the home side bundles out Pakistan for 298 runs.

In his illustrious career so far, Dhoni has played 350 ODIs for India, with his best score of 183, coming against Sri Lanka. He is also the only captain to have won all major ICC trophies, (50-overs World Cup, T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy), and led India to number one ranking in Test cricket.

Here is a video of MS Dhoni’s flamboyant innings versus Pakistan:

MS Dhoni’s future with the Indian team:

The 38-year-old Dhoni is currently on a break from national duties, having last played for India at the World Cup 2019. He was widely criticised for his slow approach to batting and had to endure the blame when the national team exited the World Cup after losing in the semifinal versus New Zealand.

The veteran was expected to make a return to cricket with the Indian Premier League (IPL), although the Coronavirus crisis has forced the league organisers to postpone the tournament.

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