5 Instances when street-smart MS Dhoni showed presence of mind at the end of the match and outsmarted the opponents.

Indian skipper MS Dhoni has taken the level of street-smartness to another horizon. There have been a plethora of articles written on his unbelievable calmness under pressure. He has also shown it time and time again that he is one of the most clever captains in the world.

In limited over cricket, he is just phenomenal with his tactics and strategies. Sometimes he also takes a gamble and that gamble seems to pay off wonderfully well. The man with the Midas touch also possesses a brilliant presence of mind. Not only with the bat, he seems to have mastered the art of ‘finishing’ even with his keeping or captaincy too.

In a nail-biting ICC T20 World Cup 2016 encounter against Bangladesh, which India needed to win to stay in the tournament, Dhoni again outsmarted the opponents with his impeccable street-smartness. Bangladesh required 11 runs off the last over and they were on the verge of winning it comfortably.

However, Dhoni picked Hardik Pandya to bowl the last over and he did a commendable job as he picked up two wickets in two balls. Bangladesh required 2 runs off the last ball and it was time for the man to unearth some of his unbelievable skills. Dhoni took one glove off and kept for the last ball.

The Bangladesh batsman Shuvagata Home missed the ball from Pandya but he quickly ran for a bye. But the man from behind the stumps collected the ball and ran like a sprinter to take those bells off in a flash.

The non-striker Mustafizur Rahman was well short of his ground and India won the match by 1 run. Dhoni’s magnificent presence of mind won the game for India.

There are several other instances when the man’s presence of mind has won games for his team. Let’s have a look at 5 such instances

#1.Dhoni giving Joginder Sharma the last over in the T20 World Cup Final 

With Pakistan requiring 13 runs of the last over, in the high-voltage final of the T20 World Cup 2007, Indian skipper MS Dhoni had two options. The experienced Harbhajan Singh had an over left and so did Joginder Sharma.

It was a toss between the two. But Harbhajan in his previous over was carted for runs by Pakistan’s batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and he was all over the place in that over. So Dhoni opted for Joginder Sharma who was relatively unknown in the international circuit.

Joginder paid rich dividends to his captain’s call as he got Misbah out courtesy of a catch by Sreesanth. Misbah mistimed a scoop shot and Sreesanth standing at the fine leg gleefully accepted the catch as India won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup.

It was a gamble for sure but a well thought out one as Joginder was someone who was slower through the air. Misbah mistimed his scoop just because of that slowness in that delivery.

Well, it was early days for MS Dhoni. But surely the signs were ominous that he is going to be one of India’s greatest skippers of all time

2.Dhoni giving spinners the last two overs in the ICC Champion’s Trophy Final in 2013

India after putting up a meagre score of 130 in the rain-curtailed ICC Champion’s Trophy Final in 2013 against England, which was reduced to 20-over a side, were hoping for miracles to win the game.

The bowlers started well, however, it was the introduction of spinners that turned the game on its head. The pitch was dry and the ball was gripping and turning. However, the partnership between Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara brought England back into the game as they required just 20 runs off the last 16 balls.

However, it was Dhoni’s masterstroke that won the game for India. He reserved the spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for the last two overs and that proved to be significant in the context of the game.

He also gave Ishant Sharma the ball to bowl the 18th over where Ishant picked up the key wickets of Morgan and Bopara. England were finding it tough to hit against the spinners and Dhoni had his plans ready. Jadeja and Ashwin were able to justify their captain’s call as India scripted a memorable win to lift the ICC Champion’s Trophy.

Thus, Dhoni became the only captain who have won all the ICC trophies possible.

That surely was a coup de maître from the man himself.

3.Dhoni’s field setting for Kieron Pollard in the IPL Final 

Everyone in the cricketing world is aware of the West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard’s big-hitting prowess. He is someone who hits it cleanly and prefers to hit it straight. However, it was sheer brilliance from MS Dhoni which did the all-rounder in.

In the all-important IPL final in 2010 between the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians, Chennai put 168 on the board batting first. Mumbai skipper Sachin was batting well and they had firepower in their batting line-up too.

When Pollard came to bat, Mumbai needed 54 off the last three overs. Dhoni knew it well that he liked to hit it straight. He kept an unusual field for the West Indian all-rounder which had a straight mid-off and straight long-off. Pollard started his blitzkrieg but couldn’t continue as he hold out to that straight mid-off fielder.
It was a brilliant tactical move and it paid off. It surely was innovative field placing at its imperious best.

4.Dhoni instructed Manish Pandey to cross him

Sometimes it’s not about finishing it yourself. Someone can contribute in a different manner altogether. MS Dhoni, undoubtedly one of the best finishers the game has ever produced, showed his impeccable presence of mind in the last game of the India-Australia 5 match one day series in Australia.

India lost the first 4 games despite brilliant batting performances and they were staring at an ignominious 5-0 drubbing.

In the final game, India chasing 331, needed 13 off the last over. Manish Pandey was playing a gem of a knock as he was standing on 98 in the last over. Dhoni was with him at the crease and it was Dhoni who faced the first ball of the last over.

The first ball was a wide and in the next ball, Dhoni hit a magnificent six to tilt the game in India’s favour. He got out in the next ball trying to hit another maximum but he ensured that Pandey crossed him and took the strike. He instructed Pandey to cross him over as he knew it was Pandey who could win the game for India.
The commentator Dean Jones eulogized Dhoni for his presence of mind and brilliant captaincy.

5.Dhoni playing out the Malinga over and then hitting 15 runs off the last over to win the game

Cometh the hour, Cometh the man. This man from Jharkhand has saved India on numerous occasions. He did it once again in a Tri Nation Series final against Sri Lanka in 2013. India chasing 202 for victory were going pretty well.

Then calamity struck as India lost wickets in quick succession and at one stage they were reeling at 157 for 7. The man at the other end, unperturbed by the sudden calamity, was batting like he usually does. He was trying his best to shield the tail-enders from the best bowlers.

However India lost two more wickets as the last man Ishant Sharma came to bat. Dhoni knew that if Malinga gets a crack at Ishant then India would surely lose the game. So he tactically played the patience game as he played out an over from Malinga without taking any unnecessary risk whatsoever.

Ishant had to face the less venomous deliveries of Angelo Mathews and he did that successfully as India required 15 off last over. Dhoni had his calculations well in place as Sri Lanka had to bowl their inexperienced bowler Shaminga Eranda for the last over. Dhoni hit Eranga for two sixes and a four as India scripted a memorable win.

The commentator Ian Bishop uttered, “Magnificent Mahendra”

Well he truly is.


source:sportskeeda

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