Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Great ODI innings from the Indian captain

Celebrations after Dhoni’s iconic six

91* Vs Sri Lanka, ICC World Cup Final, 2011

Sachin Tendulkar and VirenderShewag, both inform openers, were dismissed and then the surprise came in the form of MS Dhoni. He was out of form throughout the world cup but came up the order at no.5 to help India chase down the magical figure of 275. With bowlers like veteran Muttiah Muralidharan and Lasith Malinga, the target seemed tough and Sri Lanka were in the driver seat but nothing was impossible for MS Dhoni. Along with Gambhir, he consolidated the innings and never allowed the required run rate to go beyond reach.

He was so concentrated that he didn’t even realize that he had scored a half century. On one hand Dhoni respected Muralidharan and played him out safely, while on the other hand he took on the attack against Nuwan Kulasekara and Thisara Perera. In the end it was Dhoni who, deservingly, scored the winning runs by lofting a full length delivery from Kulasekara into the stands and ended the 24 year wait for the World Cup.