5 occasions when MS Dhoni surprised us with his captaincy in limited overs cricket

#3 ICC Champions Trophy final 2013: England vs India

Ishant and Dhoni walk back after defeating England in 2013

Team India progressed to the final of the Champions Trophy in 2013 after stitching together a number of great performances. However, on the big day, all the batsmen faltered at the same time. The match, which was reduced to 20 overs, saw the Indians score a paltry 129 for 7 and England were expected to run away with a victory.

But it all came down to Dhoni’s tactical brilliance and impeccable match reading when it mattered the most. Cleverly marshalling his troops, the Indian captain kept the pressure on the English batsmen. Except for a particularly errant Ishant Sharma, all the bowlers were bowling exceptionally well.

However, Dhoni inexplicably opted for Ishant in the 18^th over, ahead of the other in form bowlers, a decision that had many cursing the captain. It all changed, though, as Ishant bowled a brilliant over picking up both Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara. This changed the whole context of the match.

What many failed to foresee, Dhoni had already fathomed. Bowling out Ishant gave him the option of using the spinners in the last two overs. The entire move proved to be a master-stroke as India went on to snatch a memorable victory. Dhoni became the first captain to win all possible ICC trophies.