MS Dhoni: 15 memorable moments from his Test career

MS Dhoni’s final Test turned out to be statistical delight for him.

He is known to do things his way. Calm and composed, Mahendra Singh Dhoni doesn’t believe in creating noise and his demeanour has often caught fans off-guard, of course more often in a pleasant way. But on Tuesday, he shocked the cricketing world as he announced his retirement from Test cricket, moments after the completion of the Boxing Day Test.

 

Dhoni has led India in 60 Tests, winning 27 and losing 18. He has played 90 Tests, scored 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09. He has six Test hundreds and 33 fifties to his name, and as a wicketkeeper has effected 294 dismissals. Unarguably, Dhoni has been one of India’s greatest cricketers.

 

Suvajit Mustafi lists out some memorable moments of Dhoni’s Test career.

 

1. Test Debut in 2005

In December 2005, Dhoni made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Chennai. He had a fantastic start to his One-Day International (ODI) career and earlier that year. He had scored two memorable hundreds (148 against Pakistan and 183 not out against Sri Lanka) and the expectations were obviously high from the long-haired emerging poster boy of Indian cricket. It was fitting that he made his debut at Chennai, a city which went on to be his other home and where he spent numerous memorable moments. He scored a 30 in a rain-effected draw. Read all stories on MS Dhoni’s Test retirement

 

2. First dismissal

Dhoni caught Sri Lankan opener Avishka Gunawardene off the bowling of Irfan Pathan to mark his first dismissal in Test cricket. In a career spanning 90 Tests, Dhoni went on to effect 294 dismissals.

 

3. First batting landmark

Dhoni smashed his first fifty in his second Test. Playing against Sri Lanka in Delhi; Dhoni smacked an unbeaten run-a-ball 51. The way he handled spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, gave glimpses on what more was to come. India won the Test comfortably.

 

4. Smashing Pakistan

In what was his fifth Test, Dhoni smacked his maiden Test ton. In a stunning display of counterattacking batting, he bailed India out of deep waters, helping India get a 15-run lead. Dhoni smashed 148 off only 153 balls, a knock that included 19 fours and four sixes. He dealtfast bowler Shoaib Akhtar severely.

 

5. Saves the Lord’s Test in 2007

Dhoni, till then known for his attacking batting approach, played an uncharacteristic knock helping India save the first Test of the 2007 England tour at Lord’s. Batting mainly with the tail, he fought for close to three and half hours to remain unbeaten on 76. India saved the Test by a whisker as the heavens gave way with the last pair in the middle. They went on to win the series.

 

6. Role in the Perth Test of 2008

India’s victory in the 2008 Perth Test will be considered as one of their finest ever. Without achieving any significant milestone with the bat, Dhoni played a crucial role. Once again, in a very uncharacteristic innings, he scored a defiant 38. Hanging in with VVS Laxman, Dhoni batted close to two hours, as India strengthened the lead. In hindsight, that knock was extremely crucial. He also took five catches in the first innings and effected three dismissals in the second, which included the vital stumping of Australian batsman Michael Clarke.

 

7. Test Captain

After seniors Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, opted out of the inaugural ICC World T20 2007, Dhoni was handed the captaincy. In what was his first assignment as a captain, he led India to a memorable triumph. Soon, Dravid quit captaincy and Dhoni was handed over the ODI reins too. In Tests, he was second in command to Anil Kumble. In April 2008, in Kumble’s absence, Dhoni got to lead in this format for the first time. On a minefield at Kanpur, India came back to level the series. In a very difficult track to bat, Dhoni added a crucial 60 with Ganguly in the second innings.

 

8. The journey begins

Due to an injury and iffy form, Kumble retired after the third Test during Australia’s tour of India in 2008. Dhoni, now appointed the Test captain, led the team in the final Test at Nagpur. India won the Test and the series. Here began a new journey of Team India under captain Dhoni.

 

9. Top of the world

The Brabourne Test of 2009 will be best remembered for Virender Sehwag’s blazing 293. Dhoni also notched up a Test hundred in that match. While he started slowly, he was severe on the Sri Lankan bowlers in the second half of his innings. He toyed around with them throughout the series and scored two hundreds in the three innings he had batted. With this win, Dhoni’s India reached the pinnacle of Test cricket. India became the ranked one Test team for the first time in their history.

 

10. A hundred against the best

Climbing to the top is indeed difficult but remaining there, tests the true character. In 2010, India lost the first Test at Nagpur against a strong South African unit. Dale Steyn was at his lethal best and India needed to win the next Test at Kolkata to protect their number one ranking. India just did that as they turned the tables in Kolkata to register a memorable win. Dhoni with an aggressive unbeaten 132 against a strong South African bowling line-up was one of the key architects of the win.

 

11. Test double hundred

India were going through their toughest time in Test cricket. They had lost 4-0 in England, suffered the same fate in Australia and then were rattled by Alastair Cook’s men at home. Australia smelled blood as they arrived in Chennai to play the first Test in 2013. Captain Dhoni rose to the occasion and scored his maiden double hundred at his favourite venue. His 224 came off only 265 balls, a knock which gave Indian bowlers plenty of time to bowl the Australians out and win the game.

 

12. India’s most successful Test captain

In March 2013, Dhoni became the most successful Indian Test captain, surpassing Ganguly’s 21 Test victories. The win against Australia in Hyderabad was Dhoni’s 22nd win. Later, India meted out the same treatment to Australia that they suffered a little more than a year ago. India won the series 4-0.

 

13. Winning at Lord’s

Earlier this year, Dhoni led India to a Test win at Lord’s. The win at the venue came after 28 years as they went up 1-0 in the series. However India squandered off the advantage and slumped to 3-1 defeat.

 

14. 10,000 runs as captain and most stumpings

Dhoni’s final Test turned out to be statistical delight for him. After he stumped Mitchell Johnson on the second day, he surpassed Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara to record 134 international stumpings, the most in international cricket across all formats. Also during the second innings, Dhoni went on to score 10,000 runs as a captain in international cricket, joining the illustrious list of Ricky Ponting, Stephen Fleming, Graeme Smith and Allan Border.

 

15. Final moments and another record

India continued their poor form overseas, and having lost the first two Tests of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar trophy, India needed to win the remaining two to retain the trophy. Australia batted India out of the Test, setting them a target of 384 in two sessions. Dhoni effected nine dismissals in the Test, the most by an Indian wicketkeeper. He bettered his own record of eight dismissals that he effected thrice in his career and Nayan Mongia did it twice. Dhoni came into bat with India struggling at 141 for five, with more than 20 overs to go in the day. Given India’s recent history of dramatic collapses, another defeat was looming over, but Dhoni ensured that wasn’t the case. The match was saved but with the series lost, Dhoni decided to pass on the baton to the younger Virat Kohli.

 

(Suvajit Mustafi consumes cricket for lunch, fiction for dinner and munches numerous other snacks throughout the day. Yes, a jack of several trades, all Suvajit dreamt of was being India’s World Cup winning skipper but ended up being a sports writer, author, screenwriter, director, copywriter, graphic designer, sports marketer, strategist, entrepreneur,  philosopher and traveller. Donning so many hats, it’s cricket which gives him the ultimate high and where he finds solace. He can be followed at @RibsGully and rivu7)

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