5 Masterstrokes by MS Dhoni-The Captain

#3 Promoting Rohit Sharma to open in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy

Rohit Sharma hasn't looked back since being asked to open

Rohit Sharma had a stop-start career till he was pushed to open the batting alongside Shikhar Dhawan. Since his move to the top of the order, the elegant right-hander has averaged above 50 and recently completed 7000 runs in ODIs.

The Mumbaikar has always been a notoriously slow starter but with him opening the batting, he was afforded the time to make up for the slow start. While opening the batting, he has scored 3 double centuries in ODIs, which included a mammoth 264 against Sri Lanka.

With 19 ODI hundreds to his name, the signs are that Rohit is finally harnessing his enormous potential. For a player who had frustrated many a fan in his initial years, he is now one of the first names on the fans’ lips. Rohit deserves credit for having grabbed his opportunity with both hands.

However, Dhoni’s foresight to envision such a transformation must also be given its due. The Indian captain, with this decision, helped Rohit embark on an upward curve, a curve which has helped him scale many peaks.

Had Dhoni not instilled him with the confidence to open the batting, Rohit could well have been another case of ‘what could have been’. Therefore, this decision of MS ranks at No.3.