Credit: ICC
Wicket-keeper batter MS Dhoni served Team India for 15 years from 2004 to 2019, and during his stint, he played as captain for 10 years. Back in 2007, when India were knocked out of the World Cup 2007 under Rahul Dravid’s captaincy, Team India supporters felt disheartened. After six months of the dismal World Cup campaign, India won the maiden T20 World Cup played in South Africa in September 2007. Dhoni, who was leading the team for the first time, did a magnificent job as skipper.
Following the scintillating achievement, things started getting better for India as the Men in Blue went on to add some extraordinary success to their names in white-ball cricket under their new leader. Noting Dhoni’s unprecedented captaincy, let’s revisit how the veteran player guided India to three ICC trophies in the initial six years of his captaincy.
T20 World Cup 2007
As stated above, MS Dhoni started his captaincy stint for India with his amazing success in the T20 World Cup 2007. During the tournament, the wicket-keeper batter took some bold decisions which eventually worked for India. In the final against Pakistan at Johannesburg, he preferred Joginder Sharma over experienced Harbhajan Singh. The pacer trapped dangerous Misbah-ul-Haq and took India home with a five-run win.
ODI World Cup 2011
India were under immense pressure in World Cup 2011 after losing to South Africa in the group game played in Nagpur. In the crunch situation, Dhoni emphasised on areas such as fielding and keeping wickets in hand in the final overs of the powerplay. Against Australia in the quarter-final played in Ahmedabad, India’s exceptional fielding, followed by some quality batting delivered desired results, and the same happened in the semi-finals against Paksitan. Dhoni’s next masterstroke was highlighted in the final against Sri Lanka at the iconic Wankhede Stadium.
Following 275 runs, India lost three wickets at a score of 114 in 27.5 overs. This time, Dhoni decided to promote himself over Yuvraj, who was doing wonders with the bat at number four. Along with Gautam Gambhir, Dhoni stood at the crease and stitched a 109-run partnership off 118 deliveries. In the end, his maximum against Nuwan Kulasekara helped India lift the coveted World Cup trophy after 28 years and script history.
Champions Trophy 2013
India qualified for the final of the Champions Trophy 2013 after beating quality sides such as South Africa, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. During the tournament, Dhoni showed trust in Rohit Sharma and promoted him as an opener. Rohit along with Shikhar Dhawan looked efficient with his bat and delivered solid starts to the team in the tournament.
In the final against England in Birmingham, Dhoni told a trick to Ravichandra Ashwin that helped the spinner dismiss Jonathan Trott, who was looking superb with his bat. Ashwin came around the wicket and bowled over the stumps. Trott failed to counter it after stepping out of the crease which gave Dhoni the opportunity to stump him. India ultimately claimed a five-run win in the match and lifted the distinguished Champions Trophy for the second time.
