VIDEO | Unleash the 2005 vintage MS Dhoni as he blew Sri Lanka to smithereens

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk,SportsCafe Editor

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Watching MS Dhoni bat now might have been a painful experience, even for all die-hard MSD fans, but there has never been a doubt about his hitting prowess. If there was anything, all the notions were put into rest in Jaipur when his onslaught put to shade a masterclass by Kumar Sangakkara.

MS Dhoni has always been a crowd favourite ever since his debut and he put all the notions to rest with his blitzkrieg against Pakistan in Vizag. If that established him as a crowd puller, the Jaipur 2005 made sure that he was there to stay. On a sluggish pitch, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene played brilliant cricket to take the team to a competitive total of 298 runs. On a pitch lacking in pace and bounce, it was always going to be tough for India to chase down the total and that seemed almost certain when Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed off the fifth ball of the run chase. Then entered a certain boy from Ranchi, with his long locks and with a clear strategy of hitting on the up, and using the feet to advance down the ground.

After the first few minutes, it was an exhibition of assured butchery. When the ball was wide, he cut it crisp and when full, he unleashed blistering drives. When Marvan Atapattu asked his bowlers to go slightly short, he backed himself and hit through the line; when shorter, he played it through the square. Even the great Muttiah Muralitharan was a mere spectator as Dhoni hit him over boundary many a time to complete the assault and took India to a swashbuckling victory. Meanwhile, he overcame Adam Gilchrist's world record of highest score by a wicket-keeper and eventually reached 183, which still remains his highest score in ODI cricket.

It wasn't an exhibition of daredevilry, rather one of strong and concrete mind. It established what Dhoni could do and the Indians knew that they had their next-gen superstar. What we are seeing now might be a pale shadow of that former self, but it was once a maxim - “When there is Dhoni, there is entertainment.”

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