5 risky decisions of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, which were beyond the rules of cricket, proved to be the turning point of the match.

New Delhi. In the history of Indian cricket, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been such a captain, whose decisions surprised experts many times. When everyone was wondering what Dhoni would do next, then with his calm mind he used to draw a card which would directly write the story of victory. Dhoni’s ‘gut feeling’ and his decisions on the cricket field were often called ‘gambling’, but time has proved that all those decisions were well-thought-out masterstrokes. Let us know about those 5 magical and risky decisions of MS Dhoni, which changed the history of Indian cricket forever.

The first T20 World Cup final of the year 2007 was played between India and Pakistan (IND vs PAK). In the last over, Pakistan needed 13 runs to win and set batsman Misbah-ul-Haq was present at the crease. Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MS Dhoni) had one over of experienced Harbhajan Singh left, but he handed the ball to a very inexperienced bowler Joginder Sharma. Misbah could easily play big shots in Harbhajan Singh’s over because runs were being scored on spinners in that match. Dhoni trusted Joginder’s slow pace and line-length. Misbah played a scoop shot on Joginder’s ball, Sreesanth took the catch and India became the first T20 World Champion.

Getting Rohit Sharma to open in ODI
Before 2013, Rohit Sharma used to play in the middle order of the Indian team. He was extremely talented, but kept in and out of the team due to lack of consistency. Dhoni recognized Rohit’s technique and ability and took a big decision to field him as an opening batsman in the 2013 Champions Trophy. A struggling middle-order batsman became the most dangerous opener in the world. Rohit Sharma scored three double centuries in ODI history and today he is counted among the most successful openers in the world. This decision of Dhoni proved to be the biggest turning point in the history of Indian cricket.

Getting Ishant Sharma to bowl the 18th over in the Champions Trophy 2013 final.
The final of the 2013 Champions Trophy played in England was reduced to 20-20 overs due to rain. India had scored only 129 runs. England was moving towards victory. Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara were at the crease. Ishant Sharma had proved to be very expensive in his previous overs, but Dhoni again handed the ball to Ishant at the most critical juncture of the match (18th over). Ishant gave runs on the first few balls, but then turned the match towards India by dismissing Morgan and Bopara on two consecutive balls. India won that match by 5 runs and Dhoni became the only captain to win all three ICC white-ball trophies.

Betting on spinners in bowl-outs in T20 World Cup 2007
The match between India and Pakistan was tied in the group stage of the 2007 World Cup. At that time, the rule was not Super Over but ‘ball-out’ (hitting the ball on the wicket like a penalty shootout in football). Pakistan chose its main fast bowlers (Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat). Whereas Dhoni bet on spinners and part-timers like Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa and Harbhajan Singh. Dhoni not only changed the bowlers, but he himself stood right behind the stumps (kneeling) so that it would be easier for the bowlers to aim directly. India hit its first three targets accurately (3/3), while Pakistan’s main bowlers could not hit even a single wicket.

Confidence in Praveen Kumar in 2008 Commonwealth Bank Series
Defeating Australia on Australian soil has always been considered the most difficult task. In the final matches of the 2008 Tri-Series (CB Series), Dhoni expressed confidence in Meerut’s young swing bowler Praveen Kumar with the new ball. With experienced bowlers, making Praveen the main weapon was a bold decision. Praveen Kumar proved Dhoni’s trust right. With his in-swing and out-swing, he forced legendary Australian batsmen like Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke to kneel. India won the historic CB series in Australia for the first time and Praveen Kumar was the hero of this victory.