2007, 2011, 2013 | MS Dhoni's Contributions in India's Title ICC Triumphs
MS Dhoni with ICC CWC 2011 Trophy [Source: Twitter]
In India's rich cricketing history, one name that will live on forever in people's minds is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A small-town boy from Ranchi, Dhoni captivated the nation with his batting and then his on-and-off field persona and leadership skills, setting benchmarks for not only Indian but world cricket as well.
Dhoni's unconventional wicketkeeping style, power-hitting capabilities, and a mind as sharp as a razor's knife ensured India came out on top on most occasions during his captaincy stint in white-ball cricket.
Under Dhoni, India won all three major ICC Titles — T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011), and Champions Trophy (2013) — A feat no other Indian or international captain has managed to replicate.
In this list, we take a look into how Dhoni contributed in India's title winning triumphs.
T20 World Cup 2007
MS Dhoni with inaugural ICC T20 WC Trophy 2007 [Source: Twitter]
With no prior captaincy experience, Dhoni was given the charge of the Indian team for the inaugural edition of the ICC T20 World 2007 after several veteran players backed off. The Ranchi-boy shone as a leader instantly, breaking out from the conventional mould displaying aggression in the field and having a sense of urgency about them.
Apart from captaining, Dhoni led on the batting front scoring 154 runs in seven matches and ending the tournament as India's second-highest run-getter. The former captain played match-changing knocks against South Africa and Australia, which included an 18-ball 36 against the latter in the semi-final.
Dhoni's out-of-the-box thinking in the final versus Pakistan, to ask Joginder Sharma to bowl the last over against Misbah-ul-Haq, only gave a small insight about things to come.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
MS Dhoni hits winning run for India against Sri Lanka in the CWC 2011 Final [Source: Twitter]
The expectations from Team India in 2011 were sky-high, given Dhoni had led the ODI outfit in matches preceding the global showpiece. Dhoni instilled youthful exuberance within the side by including youngsters while keeping the balance with several experienced players in the squad.
As a batter, Dhoni started off decently but suffered a slump heading into the final, where the wicketkeeper shone for India.
Coming to bat, ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni piece-by-piece thwarted Sri Lanka's attack, scoring a World Cup-defining knock of 91 not-out, helping India its second 50-overs title.
In nine WC matches, Dhoni scored 241 runs with one fifty. As a gloveman, Dhoni shined throughout the competition, outfoxing batters with his shard mind and instinctive captaincy, taking seven catches and inflicting three stumps.
ICC Champions Trophy 2013
MS Dhoni with ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Trophy [Source: Twitter]
In what would be Dhoni's third ICC title, the Champions Trophy 2013 witnessed the 41-year-old as a brilliant tactician and strategist.
In the tournament where India's top-order dominated, Dhoni batted just two times and ended up amassing 27 runs in five matches. Aiming to achieve the unthinkable, Dhoni took on England in a rain-truncated final, where his mind games, and nibble glove work behind the stumps, won India their most recent ICC trophy.
Dhoni finished the competition with five catches and four stumping, cementing his place as one of the best in the business.
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 "Vishal Mehra")
