Top 5 ODI knocks which define Dhoni

- 91* against Sri Lanka in 2011

"Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lift the World Cup after 28 years!" These words from Ravi Shastri in the commentary box will always reverberate in the minds of billions of Indians till eternity.

Though all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was the linchpin of India's success in the 2011 World Cup, it was Dhoni who rose to the occasion during the final at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Chasing Sri Lanka's 275 for victory, India had the worst possible start, losing Virender Sehwag off the second ball and Sachin Tendulkar when the score was just 32. Dhoni, who was not in the best of form in the World Cup, surprised everyone by promoting himself ahead of in-form Yuvraj.

But Gautam Gambhir and skipper Dhoni steadied the ship with a 109-run fourth-wicket partnership and then his unbeaten 54-run partnership with Yuvraj (21) helped India clinch a six-wicket win as Dhoni wrapped it up with a straight six off pacer Nuwan Kulasekara.

- 183* against Sri Lanka in 2005

In a match which was completely dominated by the wicket-keepers, Dhoni overshadowed Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten century to help India register a famous win.

Sangakkara's 138* helped Sri Lanka post an imposing 298/4. However, Dhoni went a step ahead as his 145-ball unbeaten 183, which consisted of 15 fours and 10 sixes, took India home with almost four overs to spare at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

- 148 against Pakistan in 2005

In just his fourth ODI, the stylish wicket-keeper batsman, who used to sport long hair back then, announced himself on the international stage by playing an explosive 148-run knock against arch-rivals Pakistan. His 123-ball knock -- studded with 15 boundaries and four sixes -- helped India reach 356/9 in their 50 overs. Pakistan put in a brave show but they ultimately fell short by 58 runs.

- 48* against Australia in 2012

Chasing Australia's 270 at Adelaide, Gautam Gambhir kept India in the hunt with a majestic 92. However, a steady bowling performance by the Aussies kept the game in the balance.

And it all came down to the 13 runs required from the final over, with Clint McKay taking on the Indian skipper.

Dhoni, who was until then struggling to find the middle of the bat as he crawled to 33 from 55 balls before the final over, sent the high-pressure third delivery for a monumental 112-metre long maximum, one of the biggest sixes ever hit at the venue, and then secured the win with two balls to spare.

Dhoni remained not out at 48 and reminded everyone that no one in the sport can beat him when it comes to keeping cool and performing under immense pressure.

- 92* against South Africa in 2015

"Cometh the hour, cometh the man" this phrase fits aptly on Dhoni who against one of the best bowling attacks in the world, came to his own and emerged out as the lone warrior for Team India at Indore.

He smashed an unbeaten 92 which consisted of 7 fours and 4 sixes to help India post 247/9 on a rather flat pitch. He was well supported by Ajinkya Rahane (51) and Harbhajan Singh (22), but largely it was his solo effort which helped India pose a challenging total.

India defended well as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Axar Patel took three wickets each to dismiss Proteas for 225 and recorded a memorable victory.

Dhoni the BATSMAN

50.57 Dhoni's average in ODIs. Only Virat Kohli has a better average among those who have scored 10000 runs or more in ODI cricket. In fact, only Dhoni and Kohli average above 50. Sachin Tendulkar is placed third, with an average of 44.83.

47 Instances of Dhoni remaining unbeaten in successful chases in ODIs. No other batsman comes close. Jonty Rhodes is second, with 33 such not-outs. Incidentally, India have lost only two matches when Dhoni was not out in a chase: against Pakistan in Kolkata in 2013, and against England at the 2019 World Cup.

9 Instances in which Dhoni completed a successful ODI chase with a six. No other player has achieved this feat more times than him.

229 Sixes hit by Dhoni in ODIs. Only Rohit Sharma has hit more sixes for India than Dhoni, who is placed fifth on the all-time list for most sixes by any player.

7 Centuries scored by Dhoni at No. 5 five or lower - joint-highest for any team along with Yuvraj Singh and Jos Buttler. Two of his best hundreds in ODIs came early in his career while batting at No. 3 when he scored 183* and 148 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan respectively.

Dhoni the CAPTAIN

3 ICC tournaments won by India under Dhoni; it is the most by an India captain. Only Ricky Ponting has won more ICC titles as captain than Dhoni.

332 Most matches as captain in international cricket. Dhoni led India in 200 ODIs, 72 T20Is, and 60 Tests. He also has the second-most wins in limited-overs international games - 151 - behind only Ponting's 172.

53.55 Average for Dhoni as a batsman while captaining in ODIs. Only Kohli has a higher average among batsmen to score more than 5000 ODI runs. In terms of runs alone, only Ponting fared better as captain.

2 Losses for MS Dhoni in ODI World Cup matches as captain. Only Ponting and Clive Lloyd have a better win-loss ratio than Dhoni. His record in ODI World Cups was almost impeccable, with his two losses coming against South Africa (in the league stage of the 2011 World Cup) and Australia (in the semi-final of the 2015 World Cup). His record in the T20 World Cups, however, was modest, with 20 wins and 11 losses.

Dhoni the WICKETKEEPER

444 Dismissals by Dhoni in ODIs - third-most in the format. However, his 123 stumpings are the most by any wicketkeeper. No other keeper has 100 stumpings. His 91 dismissals in T20Is, including 34 stumpings are also the highest for any cricketer in the format.

6641 Runs scored as captain-wicketkeeper in ODIs. No other batsman has scored as many runs while leading their team and donning the gloves. Dhoni was India's captain and gloveman in 200 matches. Apart from him, no other keeper has led his country in more than 46 games. In terms of runs scored as a captain-keeper, Kumar Sangakkara is a distant second with 1756 runs from 45 matches. 

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