Published 23:00 IST, August 24th 2020
Sourav Ganguly finally reveals moment that made him push MS Dhoni to bat at No.3 in 2005
Sourav Ganguly reveals how Dhoni's flamboyant batting in a domestic game made him promote MSD to No.3 and how he always vouched for him to bat higher.
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MS Dhoni carved a niche for himself as India's top finisher in the limited-overs fixtures. He ensured the much-required stability the national team needed lower down the order. However, Sourav Ganguly, who was the first captain that Dhoni played under in the international circuit, had different plans for him. According to Ganguly, promoting Dhoni at number 3 was a sign of affirmation regarding his batting prowess.
Batting at No.3 for the very first time in his international career, the hard-hitting batsman ended up notching a whopping 148 runs against a formidable Pakistan bowling attack in Visakhapatnam. In just his 5th match, the wicketkeeper-batsman announced himself on the big stage in astonishing fashion. A few months later, while chasing a target of 299 against Sri Lanka, he upped the ante as he amassed a mammoth 183 runs, again while batting at the No.3 position.
When Ganguly discovered Dhoni's true potential
In an interview with SportsTak, Sourav Ganguly stated that he made the call in February 2005 to push MS Dhoni up the order when he captained him in a Challenger Trophy match in Mumbai. In that game, Dhoni opened for India Seniors and scored a quickfire unbeaten 96-ball 102 against the India B side while chasing a total of 276.
Despite being highly successful at the position, the 'Captain Cool' did not continue batting at that spot for a very long period. However, the former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly hoped that Dhoni was provided with more opportunities to bat at the top order. 'The God of Offside' also emphasized how MS Dhoni's big-hitting skills were unmatched.
Dhoni later emerged to be one of the most celebrated cricketers around the globe. He also became the only captain to win all the ICC trophies during his captaincy reign. CSK also became the team with the highest winning percentage under his captaincy and garnered 3 IPL trophies over the years.
MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15. This may have come across as a shocker for a lot of cricket fans but with the IPL 2020 set to commence for the 19th September in UAE, fans will be waiting with sheer anticipation to see their favourite star back in action. Dhoni's CSK teammate Suresh Raina too announced his retirement along with him.
Dhoni's retirement post
Chennai Super Kings travel to UAE for IPL 2020
Picture Credits: souravganguly and mahi7781's Instagram
23:00 IST, August 24th 2020