5 unheralded moments of MS Dhoni's international career

December 23, 2004 - A long-haired MS Dhoni with a stout build strode purposefully out to the middle on his Team India debut in an ODI against Bangladesh. While he was run out for a golden duck in that contest, the term 'ran-out- became the least associated with Dhoni in the following years of his illustrious career.

The former Indian captain and wicketkeeper hardly ever seemed to run out of ideas, patience, and perseverance in a career that spanned from 2004 to 2019. Looking back at Dhoni's numbers and achievements 20 years from the date of his Indian debut is like a walk through the memory lane of some of India's best-ever moments on the cricketing field.

The now-43-year-old led India to glory in three ICC events - the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. Dhoni also helped India become the No.1 ranked Test side in 2010.

He remains India's most experienced and successful captain with 178 wins in 332 matches with an outstanding winning percentage of almost 54. Dhoni was no less impressive with the bat, averaging over 50 in ODIs, 37.60 in T20Is, and 38.09 in Tests.

His wicket-keeping skills were second to none, with 829 dismissals behind the stumps - third all-time behind only Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist.

Yet, for all those who followed Dhoni closely during his international career will understand that the numbers, while conveying a story, tell barely a quarter of the story. Famously referred to as 'Captain Cool' Dhoni's stature and fandom were built from his intangibles like high IQ, unflappable composure even under extreme pressure, and an incredible rub-off effect on teammates.

The champion cricketer also enjoyed several moments during his India career that continues to go underrated and under-celebrated.

On that note, as we pay tribute to MS Dhoni two decades since he first donned the Team India jersey, here are five unheralded moments of his decorated international career.

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#1 When MS Dhoni went brain over brawn to stun Australia twice

2nd Test - India v Australia: Day 4 - Source: Getty

More than the statistical records, MS Dhoni's legacy remains in his relentless ability to outfox opposition teams at critical moments of matches. While this trait has earned him much praise in the white-ball formats, similar acts of brilliance by him in Test cricket have gone unnoticed over the years.

We go back to the 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy when a dominant Australian side, led by Ricky Ponting, toured India for four Tests. After a hard-fought first Test ended in a draw, the second Test in Mohali was hanging in the balance when Dhoni went brain over brawn to stump the Aussies.

Having scored 469 in their first innings, India reduced Australia to 62/3 before the two Michaels - Clarke and Hussey added 40 for the fourth wicket. However, in what turned out to be the final ball of the second day, Dhoni outsmarted Clarke by having debutant leg-spinner Amit Mishra around the wicket.

With the batter perhaps not as sharp, considering the angle being slightly leg-stumpish, Mishra deceived Clarke with one that pitched on middle-stump to trap him LBW. The dismissal sparked an Aussie collapse on the following day with India eventually winning the Test match by 320 runs.

Incidentally, Dhoni was also the Player of the Match with 92 and 68* in the two innings.

MS Dhoni then cemented why the M in his name stands for Mastermind in the fourth and final Test of the series. With India leading 1-0 and scoring 441 in their first innings, Australia desperately needed a strong response.

And they produced just that, racing to 189/2 at stumps on Day 2 with Simon Katich and Michael Hussey well-set on 92* and 45*, respectively. Yet, an unfazed Dhoni showcased how playing on the ego of the Aussie batters could yield better results than resorting to cliches like 'fighting fire with fire' or getting into verbal exchanges.

The Indian skipper set an 8-1 off-side field to begin Day 3 and asked his pacers Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma to bowl wide outside off-stump. Realizing the visitors had to do all the running to avoid a series defeat, Dhoni watched the Aussies helplessly collapse from 229/2 to 355 all-out.

The end result - Australia batted almost the entire day to add 166 runs, while losing their final eight wickets. That ultimately proved costly as India capitalized on their 1-0 series lead to win the final Test by 172 runs and finish with a 2-0 series victory.

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#2 Red-ball brilliance between World Cup glories

South Africa v India 3rd Test - Day 1 - Source: Getty

India is largely a cricketing nation that lives for and of World Cup glories and MS Dhoni certainly provided them with plenty. The 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cup triumphs are still talked about as India's greatest cricketing achievements.

Yet, the two World Cup victories may have also played a role in fans having a short memory as it pertains to Dhoni - The Test captain. From the start of 2009 until the 2011 ODI World Cup, Dhoni led India to three of their most impressive Test series performances.

India had beaten the Kiwis in a Test series in New Zealand only once in their history - way back in 1967/68. Yet, the Dhoni-led side finally ended that drought with a 1-0 series win in New Zealand in early 2009.

This was followed by a 1-1 drawn Test series in Sri Lanka - a place India had won only once before and lost two of their last three series. Then came the best of the lot when India overcame a 0-1 deficit in South Africa in 2010-11 to finish on level terms at 1-1 against a dominant Proteas unit.

That South African unit had several legends like Jacques Kallis, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn, and Morne Morkel at the peak of their powers. Yet, Dhoni captained India not only to a drawn series but to a position where they had realistic chances of winning their first-ever series in South Africa. However, a century by Kallis in the second innings saved the day for the hosts.

These three away Test series results played a massive role in India becoming the No.1 ranked Test side for a period under Dhoni. The defiant Test batter in MS Dhoni was also on full display in all three series. He averaged over 30 in each of them, including an extraordinary 77.50 in the New Zealand affair.

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#3 The contrasting English conquests with the bat

England v India: 5th Investec Test - Day One - Source: Getty

MS Dhoni's Test batting was easily the most underrated aspect of his game, purely because of India and their fans' obsessions with centuries, milestones, and big scores.

While it is near-impossible to list every one of Dhoni's game-changing Test knocks under duress, two contrasting ones from the 2007 and 2014 England tours act as fitting examples. Still a baby in the battle of the big boys, the ever-confident wicketkeeper-batter scored a battling 76* off 159 deliveries in the fourth innings of the first Test at Lord's in 2007.

His willingness to overcome the odds helped India escape with a draw that eventually proved crucial as they pulled off a 1-0 series win. Fast forward to 2014 and Dhoni, batting in the lower middle-order was arguably India's best batter in the Test series in England.

With the rest of the batting lineup constantly reeling against a pumped-up English attack, Dhoni saved India from the brink time and again. Despite the 1-3 series loss, he finished the series with 349 runs at an average of almost 35, including four half-centuries on extremely challenging batting tracks.

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#4 The dual outfoxing of England

England v India: 2nd Investec Test - Day Five - Source: Getty

MS Dhoni outfoxed England twice in 13 months between 2013 and 2014 at crucial moments. The first instance was the 2013 Champions Trophy when the two teams met in the final at Edgbaston.

After India scored a paltry 129 in their 20 overs in a rain-interrupted contest, Dhoni's genius took over. Marshaling the troops as and when he could, Dhoni went spin to win in the final stages of the closely fought contest.

With England needing 19 to win off the final two overs, Dhoni brought on left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, much to the surprise of everyone concerned. This was despite Ishant Sharma and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar having a combined three overs left.

What followed was a four-run and two-wicket over from Jadeja, including the massive scalp of Jos Buttler for a first-ball duck. Surely now the final over had to be a pacer, right?

No said Dhoni as he bowled off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin with 15 needed off the final six balls. And the Tamil Nadu spinner rewarded his captain with a clutch nine-run over to help India become 2013 Champions Trophy champions.

The second outfoxing of England came just over a year later in the second Test of the 2014 series at Lord's. While everyone remembers the incredible Ajinkya Rahane century on a green top and India's eventual win, the screenplay of a near-heist is often forgotten.

Chasing 319 on the final day, the hosts were well-placed at 173/4 with the wicket considerably easing out. Yet, Dhoni had another trick up his sleeve as he made Ishant Sharma go on an all-out attack with a bouncer barrage for the rest of the innings.

The rest was history as Sharma picked up five of the final seven wickets to finish with a seven-wicket haul to help India win by 95 runs.

"Mahi bhai asked me to start bowling short as nothing was happening. He told me to bowl short till we take the new ball. While we were going in for lunch Mahi bhai told me that he will make me bowl in short spells and that I had to bowl short," said Sharma on Gaurav Kapur’s Youtube show [quoted by Hindustan Times].

England lost their final six wickets for only 50 runs after Dhoni went with the short-ball tactics.

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#5 MS Dhoni's heartwarming gesture to Virat Kohli

MS Dhoni wasn't one to forget valuing sportsmanship and his teammates even in matches of the highest stakes.

Evidence of that came in the 2014 T20 World Cup semi-final against South Africa when Dhoni deliberately played a dot ball for Kohli to smash the winning runs.

Chasing 173, Kohli produced a masterclass with 72* off 44 to help India overcome several hurdles and win by six wickets. With only a single needed off seven deliveries, Dhoni blocked the final ball of the penultimate over to ensure Kohli completed the final rights.

Kohli did just that with a boundary off the first ball of the final over to set off wild celebrations. Renowned as the finisher, Dhoni ensured the match-winner on the day, Kohli, gets glory moment was one of the most heartwarming moments on the field in Indian cricket history.