5 Times when MS Dhoni outsmarted the opposition teams

MS Dhoni, the former Indian captain, is one of the sharpest minds in the game of cricket, who has positively impacted Team India and Chennai Super Kings in more ways than one. The 40-year-old has won multiple trophies at international and franchise level, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest captains, if not the greatest, in the history of cricket. Over his decorated career, MS Dhoni has been able to create many memorable moments on the field, which have stayed firmly in the minds of his fans in India and the world. He is known for being a step ahead of the opposition teams on the cricket field, almost at all times. There are many examples where the Ranchi-born cricketer has been able to trick others into a false sense of security, before pulling the rug out from under their feet at the opportune time. With that, SportsTiger looks back at the five times when MS Dhoni outsmarted the opposition teams.1. MS Dhoni trusts Joginder Sharma to bowl last over in ICC T20 World Cup 2007 final against Pakistan When Pakistan needed 13 runs from the final over to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2007, MS Dhoni had the easy choice of throwing the ball to one of his trusted bowlers in Harbhajan Singh, but instead, he went for the upcoming cricketer Joginder Singh. After a wide and a dot ball, Misbah-ul-Haq managed to hit a massive six off the slow medium bowler to bring down the equation to 6 off 4. Then, the Pakistan middle-order batter went for the scoop shot to finish off the grand finale, but he only managed to spoon the ball in the air to the short fine leg fielder S Sreesanth, who took a smart catch under immense pressure. With that, the trust from MS Dhoni on Joginder Sharma, worked, helping him secure the first major trophy as the Indian captain at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. #PAGE_BREAK#2. MS Dhoni moves a fielder to have Hardik Pandya hole out to him in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2023 During Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, Chennai Super Kings set up a commanding score in front of their home fans. When Gujarat Titans started the run chase well in the powerplay, CSK needed to pick up a few quick wickets, which led to MS Dhoni bringing Maheesh Theekshana to the attack. In the final over of the powerplay, when the 40-year-old spotted that Hardik Pandya was targeting the off side to get a few boundaries, he moved a fielder from short backward square leg to backward point at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. On the next ball from Maheesh Theekshana, the captain of Gujarat Titans holed out to the same fielder on the off-field, showcasing how tactically astute MS Dhoni is, from behind the stumps. #PAGE_BREAK#3. MS Dhoni gets Mitchell Marsh short of his crease with sheer nonchalance in 2016 The final tour to Australia in 2016 for MS Dhoni as the captain of India wasn’t quite fruitful in terms of results for the team, but he managed to leave a lasting legacy on the overseas fans. During an ODI at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, when Glenn Maxwell was well on his way to helping the Aussies chase a formidable score, a peculiar incident happened on the field. He stroked the ball from Barinder Sran past the mid-off fielder to take an easy single, but his non-striking partner Mitchell Marsh wasn’t completely attuned to the situation. The Australian all-rounder thought that the ball wasn’t coming towards his end, but Umesh Yadav the fielder had thrown the ball towards MS Dhoni the wicketkeeper, who nonchalantly took the bails off to get him short of his crease. #PAGE_BREAK#4. MS Dhoni comes up to the stumps to force Rohit Sharma into an ugly dismissal in IPL 2023 In one of the biggest matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, when Chennai Super Kings faced off against Mumbai Indians at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, the home captain MS Dhoni invited the opposition to bat first. The decision was proven to be fruitful as CSK managed to pick a couple of early wickets of MI for not many runs. During the third over of the innings, Rohit Sharma, the captain of Mumbai Indians, was stepping out of his crease to gain an advantage against the medium fast bowler Deepak Chahar. When MS Dhoni noticed this, he brought himself up to the stumps, which led to Rohit Sharma playing a scoop shot, mistiming it to the backward point fielder Ravindra Jadeja, to get dismissed in an ugly manner. #PAGE_BREAK#5. MS Dhoni completes a memorable run out after taking off his wicket-keeping gloves in ICC T20 World Cup 2016 against Bangladesh One of the biggest moments where MS Dhoni used his tactical acumen to outsmart an opposition, happened during the ICC T20 World Cup 2016 match against Bangladesh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. When Bangladesh needed two runs off the final ball to knock India out of the home competition, the Indian captain took his wicket-keeping gloves off before the ball was bowled, presuming what’s to come next. Hardik Pandya, who had the responsibility to take India across the line, bowled a short delivery outside the off stump, which the batter on strike Shuvagata Hom missed. Then, MS Dhoni managed to gather the ball safely in his right hand, ran a few metres towards the pitch, and broke down the stumps to complete a memorable run out of Mustafizur Rahman.

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5 Times when MS Dhoni outsmarted the opposition teams