MS Dhoni's Five Most Bold Decisions Ever For Team India

MS Dhoni’s return to national colours may have taken a decisive blow due to the ongoing health crisis that also has the Indian Premier League (IPL) in doubt. The IPL was a pathway for the former Indian captain to claim his spot for the ICC World T20 in October in Australia. The first match of the lucrative tournament, which was initially supposed to start on the 29th of March, was also going to be his first competitive game since July 2019.

Also Read: MS Dhoni Did Not Want To Play For India Anymore: Harsha Bhogle

With the thirteenth season of the IPL uncertain about taking place, it remains unsure whether the 38-year-old would ever play for India again.

Yet, one can never argue with the fact that he is one of the bravest leaders the world has ever witnessed.

Not only for India but Dhoni’s bold decisions have shaped some of the famous victories for Chennai Super Kings.

The veteran’s courageous acts have also transformed the careers of his colleagues.

We take a look at the five most bold decisions made by MS Dhoni for Team India:

Giving Joginder Sharma the final over in the ICC World T20 2007:

The inaugural World T20 tournament in South Africa ideally marked the beginning of Dhoni’s era. Victories over powerful sides like England, Australia, and Pakistan had catapulted India into the final, where they met Pakistan again in Johannesburg. The men in blue had already beat the arch-rivals in their group game showdown, courtesy of bowl-out.

India posted 157 from their 20 overs, thanks to Gautam Gambhir’s fifty and Rohit Sharma’s perfect finishing touches.

Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but Misbah Ul-Haq kept them in the hunt for a dream finish. With 13 needed off the final over with only one wicket remaining, Misbah seemed on track to get those comfortably.

Experienced off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had one over left in the bag; however, the skipper decided to give the ball to Joginder Sharma. Sharma bowled the first as a wide and the second one dot.

Misbah relieved the pressure on the third delivery by smashing a six to get the equation down to six off four. As the Indian heads started to drop, the batsman went for a paddle scoop in the next ball, but couldn’t get past Sreesanth at short fine leg.

The Wanderers’ crowd went berserk as he caught the ball, which also heralded India to a new era. The title win was the first among the three that Dhoni won during his captaincy tenure.

Leaving out Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid from ODIs:

During their decorated careers, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid had combined to accumulate over 23000 runs in ODI cricket. Not only the duo were massive pillars in Tests, but also the 50-over format.

Hence, dropping those giants was sure to create a huge uproar. But MS Dhoni didn’t hold back from leaving them out for the tri-series in Australia in 2008, involving the hosts and Sri Lanka.

The then BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah cited the reason for dropping them as the focus being more on fielding abilities. And hence, they opted to name young fielding side for the tour.

In retrospect, that was the era when T20 cricket began solidifying its status and fielding became an equally crucial skill.

Not only did the men in blue emerged victorious in that tri-nation series, but also the change in culture brought about India being one of the best fielding sides as of today.

Coming at number five in the 2011 World Cup final:

It was a World Cup win best remembered for Dhoni’s proactive thinking and him rising to the occasion. While chasing a target of 275, the likes of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virat Kohli were back in the hut with more than 150 still needed.

With in-form Yuvraj Singh waiting in the wings, Dhoni shockingly promoted himself up the order amid a lively Wankhede crowd

What followed was a sublime knock of unbeaten 91 to win the World Cup after 28 years and becoming the first team to win on their home soil. Gambhir’s innings of 97 was as crucial.

However, the captain’s move to seal the game with a six remains unforgettable.

Rotating the opening combination in the CB Series 2012/13:

When he began his leadership tenure, Dhoni called for axing of some senior men to ramp up the fielding standards in 2008. In 2012, the skipper decided to rotate the top three batsmen in Tendulkar, Sehwag, and Gambhir during the 2012 CB Series in Australia.

Despite having a formidable record, the trio didn’t play in any match together during the series. The wicketkeeper-batsmen cum captain kept rotating between them amid India’s struggles throughout the competition.

The Men in Blue failed to make the final in the tournament and showcased that India needed a change at the top of the order.

Promoting Rohit Sharma to the opening position:

The year 2013 completed Dhoni’s quest of winning all the ICC trophies. By winning the Champions Trophy that year, India had bagged all three major titles under Dhoni.

But that particular year was also a turning point for one of the cricketers, who stayed in the fringes of the national team before that.

Rohit Sharma made his debut back in 2007 but wasn’t able to solidify a position in the line-up due to ever-changing spots and inconsistent performances.

Ever since his promotion to the top, the Mumbai batsman has come to be known as one of the most explosive and consistent opening batsmen.

Since 2013, the 31-year old has smashed four double-centuries in ODIs with a high score of 264. The individual score of 264 is the highest to date.

Most recently, he hammered five hundreds in the 2019 World Cup. More often than not, Rohit credits the veteran for pulling off that masterstroke that also worked in favour of Indian cricket.

Also Read: MS Dhoni All Set To Retire From Cricket: Report