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In pics: Birthday boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s seven most memorable moments at Eden Gardens
Birthday Special
In pics: Birthday boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s seven most memorable moments at Eden Gardens
As MSD turns 41, My Kolkata relives the best of Dhoni at the Mecca of Indian cricket
By
Priyam Marik |
Published 07.07.22, 05:34 PM
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A swashbuckling cameo against KKR: Historically, MSD has enjoyed batting against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL, something he proved once more in 2018, as he raced to 43 runs in 25 balls with the help of just one boundary and four sixes. Dhoni’s flourish, preceded by solid contributions from Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina, allowed the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to register a score of 177 on the board. In KKR’s reply, however, it was Shubman Gill’s turn to steal the thunder, as the teenager’s unbeaten innings of 57 gave Dhoni a bitter taste of defeat in Kolkata
Photos courtesy: BCCI
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The winning touch in the mother of all battles: A flat six over long on and an easy single to deep square leg from Dhoni confirmed victory for India in a pulsating contest against Pakistan in the 2016 ICC World T20 fixture at Eden. After rain threatened to spoil the match and the Pakistani pacers threatened to spoil the result, it was Virat Kohli who stepped to the fore with a champion’s knock to take India on the verge of victory. Once on the cusp, it was left, as always, for Mahi to seal the deal
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An A-lister for Jharkhand: Incidentally, Dhoni’s only century in limited overs cricket at Eden came not for India, but for Jharkhand, during a List A match against Chhattisgarh in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2017. Asked to bat first, Jharkhand were rocked early on and found themselves at 57 for six when Dhoni joined Shahbaz Nadeem to rebuild the innings. By the time he was done, Dhoni had brought up his 17th List A century, ending with a 129 off just 107 balls.
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The solitary spark as CSK fade away: The first-ever IPL final at Eden saw arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) and CSK battle it out for the trophy in 2013. Chasing 149, CSK capitulated in no time and were reduced to 36 for five in less than seven overs. While Dhoni steadied one end and went on to strike some meaty blows towards the death, his unbeaten 63 off 45 could not stop the MI juggernaut from coasting to their maiden IPL crown
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Turning on the style against the Windies: A hapless West Indian attack conceded 631 runs to India in the first innings of a one-sided Test in 2011 at Eden. Out of those, 144 came from Dhoni’s bat, with the Indian skipper entering the fray at number eight and blazing his way to a century with 10 fours and five sixes. This innings also made Eden the only ground to have witnessed two Test hundreds by MSD
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A surefire century against South Africa: With India already 88 runs ahead of the Proteas in the second Test of the 2009-10 series at Eden, Dhoni muscled his way to 132 in just 187 balls, adding to centuries by Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and V.V.S. Laxman. At a time when Dhoni’s batting form in the longest format was under scrutiny, this onslaught was the perfect response under circumstances that suited his natural game. Moreover, if you believe the retelling in the 2016 film M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, Dhoni had told Sakshi, who he went to marry a few months later, that he was “sure of getting a 100” in this very game
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Traumatising Tripura: In the least celebrated moment on this list, Dhoni smashed his way to 73 not out off just 33 balls to take Jharkhand to victory in a domestic T20 game against Tripura at Eden in April 2007. Laced with seven sixes and three fours, Dhoni’s incisive batting allowed his home state to triumph by a comfortable margin of 34 runs
