MS Dhoni Birthday Special: Recalling MSD's Three Special Knocks in Test Matches, Watch Videos
As the boy from Ranchi who became a legend of the game celebrates his 38th birthday, here's a look-back at some of Dhoni's special knocks in Test cricket. 'Mahi', as Dhoni is lovingly called by his legions of fans, has not just played innings of substance in one-days and T20 international matches, but also hit gems in his Test cricket career, from which he retired in 2014.
MS Dhoni, who turns 38 today, will always be remembered for the trophies he has won, the sixes he has hit, and the countless memories of joy and pride he has given to fans the world over. And as the boy from Ranchi who became a legend of the game celebrates his 38th birthday, here's a look-back at some of Dhoni's special knocks in Test cricket. Happy Birthday MS Dhoni: On Former Indian Captain's Birthday, Let's Have a Look at Five Gestures that Earned Mahi More Fans (Watch Video).
'Mahi', as Dhoni is lovingly called by his legions of fans, has not just played innings of substance in one-days and T20 international matches, but also hit some gems in his Test cricket career, that often get overlooked.
Below are Three Top Test Innings by MS Dhoni in Test Cricket
1. India vs England, Lords's, 2007
India were playing England at Lord's in a match that had something for the bowlers. Kevin Pietersen had scored a brilliant century in the second innings and India were chasing 380 runs to win the match in the fourth innings of the game. However, Team India lost Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, their two main batting stars cheaply. But at the end it was Dhoni's mature innings of 76 not out and bad lights that helped India draw the game even as England needed just one wicket to win the match.
2. India vs Pakistan, Faisalabad, 2006
This was MS Dhoni's first Test hundred. And it came on the Pakistani soil against the arch rivals. Dhoni scored 148 runs in his innings and entertained the crowds with 19 fours and four sixes. Watch the video of his batting below.
3. India vs Australia, Chennai, 2013
Dhoni's first double hundred in Tests gave India a memorable victory in Chennai. It was a MS Dhoni masterclass in batting as 'Thala' faced Aussies and took on their bowlers. See the video of that match's summary below.
MS Dhoni played 90 test matches for India and as captain, helped the Indian team reach the number 1 spot in the longest format of the game. Dhoni himself hit six hundreds and 33 fifties and took 256 catches and effected 38 stumping. His highest score in Tests was 224. He finished with 4,876 runs in 144 innings.
Dhoni retired from Test cricket as he made a shock announcement during the India vs Australia Test series down under in 2014. Then BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said about Dhoni after MSD's announcement after Melbourne test that, "One of India's greatest Test captains under whose leadership India became the number one team in the Test rankings, MS Dhoni has decided to retire from Test cricket citing the strain of playing all formats of cricket."
The statement was released by the BCCI and it perfectly captures Dhoni's contribution in Tests for India. But the best compliment came from the great Sachin Tendulkar himself, who wrote after Dhoni's retirement from Tests, "well done on a wonderful career in test cricket @msdhoni. Always enjoyed playing together." Now that's a complement to cherish forever.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 07, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).