Imagine you have only played 4 ODIs and that too not scored more than 12 in an innings, and the skipper asks you to go in at No. 3 in your 5th game? Well, that was exactly the situation facing MS Dhoni when Sourav Ganguly informed him he would go in at the fall of the first wicket.
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It was the 2nd ODI between India and Pakistan in 2005. Sachin Tendulkar was out early and Dhoni walked out to bat with the explosive Sehwag at the other end. With just 20 runs in his last 4 innings, the 23-year-old knew it was a make or break situation for him. Would he falter? Or was this his chance to make a mark. The man who had scored a duck on his debut vs Bangladesh in late 2004 had a shot at redemption. He was going to make the most of it.
Pretty soon he was matching Sehwag for every stroke. The ball was dispatched to the boundary and over the ropes with speed never seen before. He lost Sehwag (74) midway, but that did not deter his resolve. The fifty came up and soon he was racing towards three-figures. Then came the moment of truth - a maiden century against the traditional rivals.?
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By the time Dhoni fell, India were assured of a big total. They amassed 356/9 and won the game by 58 runs to go 2-0 up in the six-match series. It's a testament to Pakistan's fighting spirit that they came back with a vengeance to win the series 4-2.
But that's another story. That day was all about Dhoni. 148 glorious runs came from his blade as the Pakistanis were left clueless. His 123-ball knock contained 15 fours and 4 sixes.
Over the next decade, he would go on to play many match-winning knocks. But it was that knock that put him on the map and the world took notice of the cricketer who would take Team India to higher heights.