Top 7 Moments When MS Dhoni Finished Off In Style
Dhoni's most famous six took India home in 2011 CWC (Twitter)
MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of the biggest cricketing icons in the world of sport. The former Indian Captain has given joys to Indian cricket fans which goes beyond boundaries. Regarded as the captain cool, MS Dhoni is the only skipper in the world to have won every prestigious ICC tournament.
However, Dhoni’s batting career is also full of some mind-blowing achievements. The young and charismatic boy from Ranchi went on to become one of the finest finishers the game has ever seen. His ability to remain calm and win matches in crunch situations makes him different from the crowd.
Contributing to the team’s total is always good and important but to be the reason behind your team getting across the line gives the utmost satisfaction to any player. Time and again, Dhoni has taken matches deep into the last over, showing his ability to come through in clutch situations and hit the ball out of the park to get his team across the line.
As Dhoni turns 42, let’s take a look at the top 7 moments when MS Dhoni finished off a game with a six.
The Finisher Marks His Arrival vs Sri Lanka in 2005
The world witnessed the arrival of MS Dhoni the finisher for the very first time in this match. It was the third ODI of the seven-match series against Sri Lanka in Jaipur. Chasing 299, India lost Sachin Tendulkar early in the very first over.
Dhoni got promoted to bat at number three and went on to make an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls, hitting 15 fours and 10 sixes.
He finished the game with a six over midwicket off the bowling of Tilakaratne Dilshan as India chased down the target of 299 with 23 balls to spare.
Dhoni vs KXIP To Power CSK to IPL 2010 Knockouts
Dhoni with Albie Morkel in IPL 2010 (Twitter)
In a must-win game to qualify for the Semi Final of IPL 2010, MS Dhoni once again showed his prowess in getting his side to victory from the jaws of defeat. Chasing a huge 193, CSK had a huge task of getting 16 runs to win from the final over.
Irfan Pathan had to bowl the last over and Dhoni managed to hit a boundary and a six in the first three balls leaving 4 runs to get off the remaining three balls.
Eventually, Dhoni finished things off with a monstrous six over long-on and won the match for CSK. The CSK skipper remained not out for 54 of 29 balls and carried his side to the Semi Final in the third consecutive season.
Tri-Series Final against Sri Lanka in 2013
Dhoni getting hugs from teammates (Twitter)
In an epic low-scoring thriller, MS Dhoni rose to the occasion and carried India to victory against Sri Lanka in the final of the Tri-Nation series hosted in the Caribbean back in 2013. Chasing a target of 202, India were struggling big time on a surface which was slow and difficult to bat.
India kept losing wickets at regular intervals but captain Dhoni kept his cool and took the game into the last over with 15 runs required.
What followed after that was a typical MS Dhoni finish as the Indian skipper smashed Shaminda Eranga for 16 runs in the first four balls, finishing with a six over extra cover and took India to a famous victory to lift the Tri-Nation Series.
The Auckland Heist vs Zimbabwe in WC 2015
Dhoni with Suresh Raina during 2015 CWC (Twitter)
Chasing 288 in a group match against Zimbabwe in 2015 World Cup, India were in all sorts of trouble as Zimbabwe reduced them to four down with only 92 on the board. MS Dhoni, alongside Suresh Raina joined hands and rescued India with an unbeaten 196-run stand.
Raina scored his maiden World Cup century and Dhoni remained not out with 85 off 76. He finished the game in style, pulling Tinashe Panyangara for a six over midwicket as India got across the line with eight balls remaining.
Pulling off 23 from the last over vs KXIP in IPL 2016
Dhoni smacked 23 runs vs Punjab's Axar Patel in IPL 2016 (Twitter)
This is one of the most famous final over finishes by MS Dhoni we have come across. Chasing 173 in the last league match against Kings XI Punjab, Rising Pune Super Giants needed 23 off the last six balls with skipper Dhoni in the middle.
23 off 6 balls is never an easy task but Dhoni, at his best, took down Axar Patel in the last over. The equation was 6 off the last ball at the end and Dhoni smashed it over midwicket for six to seal the game for RPS.
To Seal The Asia Cup 2016
Dhoni finished off the Asia Cup final against Bangladesh in 2016 (Twitter)
India won the Asia Cup 2016 Final, beating Bangladesh by eight wickets in Mirpur back in 2016. It was India’s sixth Asia Cup title and their first in the T20 format. Chasing a tricky 121, India got off to a good start with Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli scoring runs at the top.
However, the equation was 19 off the last two overs with Dhoni just arriving in the middle. Just when Bangladesh could have pushed India behind with a good penultimate over, Dhoni smashed a monstrous six over midwicket on the very first ball of the over.
India went on to win the game with seven balls remaining as Dhoni scored another boundary and a six to finish the game. That was another vintage Dhoni finish to lift another multinational tournament.
Dhoni finishes off in style…
A list of Dhoni finishing matches with a six would be incomplete without mentioning the glorious 2011 World Cup Final winning moment. Stepping up at the biggest stage, the then-Indian captain was at his absolute best, scoring a crucial unbeaten 91 off 79 balls to carry India to silverware.
Dhoni finished things off in style, hitting Nuwan Kulasekra over long on to the Wankhede stands, and ending his India’s 28-year-long wait for the One Day Title. This Dhoni shot made him shake hands with heaven as the glorious slog over long-on to win the World Cup etched in the cricketing folklore forever.
 "Kaushik Kashyap")
