The greatest ODI XI of all time

#6 MS Dhoni (WK, Captain):

Finish it like MS – “Iceman”

The top 5 pretty much pick themselves. On to #6, we look at possible candidates and analyze their careers. Michael Bevan and MS Dhoni are the two standout performers who have scored the most runs batting down the order.

Statistical comparison: MS Dhoni and Michael Bevan.

Player	MS Dhoni	Michael Bevan
Matches:	278	232
Innings	241	196
Not Outs:	67	67
Aggregate:	8918	6912
Average:	51.	54.
Balls Faced:	9989	9320
Scoring Rate:	89.28	74.16
Highest Score:	183*	108*
5Os:	60	46
100s:	9	6
Ducks:	8	5
4s:	691	450
6s:	192	21
Opened Batting:	2	1

Both MS Dhoni and Bevan have similar averages, however, Dhoni towers above Bevan with a strike rate close to 90 compared to the latter’s 74.

Bevan in the 90’s was the best finisher, with his ability to pick gaps at ease, convert those 1’s into 2’s and run like a machine but he is not known for his 6 hitting abilities. That is where the difference comes between MSD and Bevan, Dhoni has scored 170 sixes and 240 fours more than Bevan, this ability to find the ropes consistently gives Dhoni the nod ahead of Bevan as the finisher in the team.

Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
278	241	67	8918	183*	51.25	9989	89.27	9	60	691	192	261	89

Dhoni as a batsman alone is enough to warrant a place in most ODI teams, but that is not the only facet of his game. Although he might not produce the football goalkeeper kind of dives behind the wickets, Dhoni is an efficient keeper and undoubtedly the best in the game when it comes to stumpings, with 261 catches and 89 stumpings he dons the gloves of this all-time 11.

While his test captaincy lacked imagination and leaves a lot to be desired, in the limited overs format he is a different beast altogether. He has won almost 60% of ODI’s, also leading the Indian national team to Champions Trophy and World Cup victories.

Like the popular idiom goes “Kill 2 birds with 1 stone”, Dhoni fills 4 positions; as a batsman, finisher, wicket-keeper and Captain. So overall he brings great value to this all-star team.

Contenders: Michael Bevan and Mark Boucher