This Day That Year: MS Dhoni

Former India captain MS Dhoni achieved his greatest ODI score on this day, 17 years ago. On October 31, 2005, Dhoni accomplished the feat against Sri Lanka in the third One-Day International of the seven-match series at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Dhoni scored 183 runs off 145 balls while batting at number three with the aid of 15 fours and 10 sixes. His contribution enabled the team captained by Rahul Dravid to defeat Sri Lanka by six wickets.

India was given a goal of 299 to win the match, but they had a rough start after losing Sachin Tendulkar in the very first over of the innings. But Dhoni altered the game’s pace, and in the end, he won and remained unbeaten. The former captain of India, who is perhaps one of the best captains to play cricket, has achieved everything in his time: From the 2011 ODI World Cup on home soil through the T20I World Cup in 2007 and the 2013 Champions Trophy.

After making his international debut in 2004 against Bangladesh, Dhoni went on to play 538 matches in a variety of formats throughout the course of his 16-year career. Dhoni represented India in 350 ODIs, 90 Tests, and 98 Twenty20 Internationals. He last played for his country in a match in July 2019, when India fell to New Zealand in the World Cup semifinals.

Dhoni announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on August 15, 2020, capping an outstanding career. Dhoni scored 10,773 runs in ODIs during his career, averaging 50.57, and 4,876 runs in Tests with an average of 38.09. The daring batsman amassed 1617 runs with a strike rate of 126.13 in T20Is.