The Dhoni Show: India's Lone Warrior Versus Pakistan

(MS Dhoni acknowledging the crowd after his century against Pakistan)

India vs Pakistan remains a battle that is always a hard-fought one and this rivalry has given us endless moments to cherish. There have been fights, battles, and other things on the field which makes his sports even more beautiful for the fans of both teams. In the last bilateral series that was played between both teams gave us some of the best moments to remember as the series was a close one. The competitive spirit between India and Pakistan was on full display, leaving fans on the edge of their seats throughout the series. Despite the rivalry, there was a sense of camaraderie among players, showcasing the true spirit of sportsmanship. As the series concluded, it left fans reminiscing about the thrilling encounters and eagerly anticipating the next chapter in this storied rivalry.

1st ODI: India vs Pakistan at Chennai

After the end of the T20 series between India at Pakistan, both the teams were now scheduled to play a 3-match ODI series during the Pakistan tour of India. With the T20 series ending in a draw, it was a chance for both teams to claim their authority over each other in the ODI series. On the slowpitch of Chennai, Pakistan decided to field first as it would allow them to play better under the lights and hence this decision was based on it. Filled with a star-studded lineup, the Indian team was confident of making a big total in their innings but somehow failed to achieve it.

It was Junaid Khan who completely ran through the Indian batting lineup as in the 4th over of the innings, he dismissed Virender Sehwag to leave India 17-1. After that Mohammad Irfan registered his first wicket of the series as he sent Gautam Gambhir back to the pavilion to make India 17-2 at the end of 5 overs. It wasn’t an ideal morning for the Indian team and it further got worse as Virat Kohli was dismissed on duck by Junaid Khan who then went on to pick the wickets of Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma to take the Indian team at 29-5 in 10 overs.

(Junaid Khan celebrating after dismissing Virat Kohli for a duck)

The whole stadium was quiet as India was in a tense situation but it was a partnership from MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina that propelled India to 102 runs by the end of the 33rd over. However, Mohammad Hafeez came and broke the partnership and dismissed Suresh Raina for 43 runs. After this, it was all about MS Dhoni who went on to score a brilliant century for the Indian team while R Ashwin finished at 31 runs from the 39 balls played. India finished at 227 runs with the loss of 6 wickets from their 50 overs and it was Junaid Khan who picked 4 wickets in his 9 overs, giving away just 43 runs.

India vs Pakistan, 1st ODI at Chennai, Dec 30 2012, Pakistan tour of India
India	Pakistan
227/6 (50 overs)	228/4 (48.1 overs)
MS Dhoni 113* (125)	Nasir Jamshed 101* (132)
Junaid Khan 4/43 (9 overs)	Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/27 (9 overs)
Pakistan won by 6 wickets (with 11 balls remaining)

Now coming to Pakistan’s batting innings, it was a dream debut for Bhuvneshwar Kumar who got Mohammad Hafeez bowled on the first ball of his career. The swing king dominated from the start and even got the wicket of Azhar Ali to get Pakistan at 21-2 in just 10 overs. However, it was the partnership between Nasir Jamshed and Younis Khan that stabilized the innings for them as the team went to 133-2 in 33 overs. Jamshed finally got his century while at the other end, Shoaib Malik ensured that Pakistan reached the target without losing any further wickets. They chased the target in 48.1 overs and had a 6 wickets win in the first match of the series. MS Dhoni was awarded Man of the Match for his century as he got the team out of a difficult situation by batting till the end for them.

Pakistan winning the ODI series 2-1

After the end of the 1st ODI, Pakistan was 1-0 ahead in the series and hence needed just one more victory to get the series win and for the 2nd ODI, both the teams travelled to Eden Gardens to take on each other. Seeing the first ODI, India now chose to field first but this decision backfired as it was Nasir Jamshed again who made a century for the team. He along with Mohammad Hafeez ensured that the team reached a total of 250 which looked good at the wicket of Eden Gardens now. Ishant Sharma was the main bowler for the Indian team who picked 3 wickets in 9 overs for the team.

Coming out to bat, the Indian team again collapsed as Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, and Yuvraj Singh failed to provide a positive start to the team and hence the innings was wrapped up for just 165 runs. It was MS Dhoni who scored a half-century and was again India’s top run-scorer. Saeed Ajmal was the bowler who picked 3 wickets along with Junaid Khan and dismantled the Indian batting order which never recovered from the initial loss.

(Nasir Jamshed during his innings against India in the series)

The last and final ODI of the series was played in Delhi and with the Pakistan team having a 2-0 lead in the series, they had already clinched the trophy and were looking for a clean sweep now. India now went to bat first and what followed was another batting collapse as the Indian team was bowled out for just 167 runs in 43.4 overs and it was again MS Dhoni who was the top scorer of the side. Saeed Ajmal was unplayable on Delhi’s wicket and registered a 5-wicket haul.

Now coming to Pakistan’s batting lineup, they also went through a collapse as it was only Misbah-ul-Haq who went to score 39 runs. However, these runs were not enough as Pakistan was bundled out for just 157 runs and it gave the Indian team a win by 10 runs. The series ended 2-1 in the favour of Pakistan’s team and hence the tour ended with Pakistan winning 3 out of the 5 matches played combining both T20s and ODIs.