MS Dhoni's 5 most memorable knocks

Very few players in the history of the game are known for their cool composure and unmatched finishing ability like MS Dhoni, who has built a successful legacy, not just on numbers but also on several memories in the game. He had that unbelievable ability to soak up pressure whenever the team was under pressure.

Across the three formats of the game, Dhoni’s innings often came when the team would need him the most, turning the games that seemed lost into unforgettable victories. In international cricket, the India wicket-keeper batter remained the sixth leading run-getter with 17092 runs in 523 innings with the help of 15 centuries and 108 fifties at the best score of 224.

Inside the five knocks that defined MS Dhoni's legend — from a teenage 183 to the World Cup-winning six

The list of his top five most memorable knocks across the three formats isn’t just about the few stats. It’s about the impact, context, and the sheer brilliance of the star batter. From his long Test masterclass to explosive ODI finishes, Dhoni’s qualities can be seen in his batting.

Here are the top five memorable knocks that defined MS Dhoni’s legendary career in international cricket:

**#5 113* vs Pakistan in Chennai ODI, 2012-**

It was the first ODI of the 2012 series between India and Pakistan, and it turned out to be the rivals’ last trip to India for a bilateral series due to the political situation. Batted first at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the home side was limping at 29/5 when Dhoni walked into the middle.

After putting on an innings-recovery partnership of 73 runs for the sixth wicket with Suresh Raina, the former World Cup-winning captain showed his class in the unbeaten 125-run stand for the seventh wicket, where Ravichandran Ashwin made only 31 runs. Dhoni shouldered the blue brigade to 227/6, remaining unbeaten on 113 runs off 125 balls with the help of seven boundaries and three sixes.

Even though the visitors won the clash, it was one of Dhoni’s most memorable knocks in ODI history.

Brief Scores: Pakistan 228/4 (Nasir Jamshed 101*, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/27) beat India 227/6 (MS Dhoni 113*, Suresh Raina 43, Junaid Khan 4/43) by six wickets.

#4 56 (36) vs England in Bengaluru T20I, 2017-

It was the third T20I of the series between India and England from the 2017 series at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, where the Virat Kohli-led side batted first and posted 202/6 in their 20 overs. Dhoni celebrated his first T20I fifty and slammed 56 runs off 36 balls at a strike rate of 155.56 with the help of five boundaries and two sixes.

England, in reply, were bundled out for just 127 runs to face a 75-run defeat. They slipped from 119/2 in 13.2 overs to 127 all-out in the next 17 balls, with Yuzvendra Chahal celebrating 6/25 in his four overs.

Brief Scores: India 202/6 (Suresh Raina 62, MS Dhoni 56, Liam Plunkett 1/22) beat England 127 (Joe Root 42, Yuzvendra Chahal 6/25) by 75 runs.

#3 224 vs Australia in Chennai Test, 2013-

During the opening Test of the four-match series in 2013 in Chennai, Australia posted 380 runs in the first innings thanks to Michael Clarke’s splendid knock of 130 runs before the hosts gained a lead of 192 runs. Dhoni smashed 224 runs off just 265 balls with the help of 24 boundaries and six sixes at a strike rate of 84.53.

None of the Australian bowlers were able to dismiss the Indian captain. The tourists had no reply to India’s spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja, who shared eight wickets between them before India completed the chase by eight wickets.

Brief Scores: India 572 (MS Dhoni 224, Virat Kohli 107, James Pattinson 5/96) & 50/2 (Virender Sehwag 19, James Pattinson 1/13) beat Australia 380 (Michael Clarke 130, R Ashwin 7/103) & 241 (Moise Henriques 81, R Ashwin 5/95) by eight wickets.

#2 148 vs Pakistan in Visakhapatnam ODI, 2005-

Heading into the second ODI between India and Pakistan in Visakhapatnam during the 2005 series, Dhoni was in a bad patch, with a string of low scores, and could have been dropped had he not performed well.

The former Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, promoted Dhoni to number three, and the Ranchi-born smashed 148 runs off just 123 balls at a strike rate of 120.32 with the help of 15 boundaries and four sixes. It helped the hosts to put 356/9 on the board before the tourists got bundled out for 298, losing the encounter by 58 runs.

Brief Scores: India 356/9 (MS Dhoni 148, Virender Sehwag 74, Naved-ul-Hasan 3/54) beat Pakistan 298 (Abdul Razzaq 88, Ashish Nehra 4/72) by 58 runs.

**#1 91* vs Sri Lanka, ODI WC final in Mumbai, 2011-**

No one would argue that the unbeaten 91-run knock of Dhoni would be his and their most memorable knock from the ODI World Cup 2011 final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Sri Lanka had full trust in defending their 274-run score, and once they restricted the hosts to 31/2, there was silence in the ground.

Dhoni decided to promote himself at number four in the final, ahead of in-form Yuvraj Singh. That decision could have backfired, but the Indian captain had faith in his abilities. He remained unbeaten on 91 runs off 79 balls at a strike rate of 115.19 with eight fours and two sixes to complete the memorable chase with an ‘iconic’ six and earned the ‘Player of the Match award.’

Brief Scores: India 277/4 (Gautam Gambhir 97, MS Dhoni 91, Lasith Malinga 2/42) beat Sri Lanka 274/6 (Mahela Jayawardene 103, Yuvraj Singh 2/49) by 6-wickets.

Apart from these five knocks, Dhoni’s 183* against Sri Lanka in 2005, 99 vs England in Nagpur in 2012, 139 against Australia in Mohali in 2013, and several other international knocks would remain fresh and alive among the fans.