When Ishant Sharma ignored MS Dhoni’s advice to give India a Champions Trophy win

(Ishant Sharma during his spell against England in the Champions Trophy 2013 Finals)

Champions Trophy 2013 was an ICC event that saw the Indian team win the trophy and it was MS Dhoni who completed his captaincy duties after winning all the 3 major ICC white ball trophies. With the victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup, India finally managed to clinch another trophy against England in the Finals. However, there is a big story behind India’s win in the Champions Trophy Finals when it was MS Dhoni who was confused about what to do when India was in a tough situation. This pivotal moment sheds light on Dhoni's decision-making under pressure and the challenges he navigated as a captain to steer India towards victory in the tournament.

What Ishant Sharma said to MS Dhoni during the Finals of Champions Trophy 2013

In the Finals of the Champions Trophy 2013, India was in a situation where the match was slipping away from their zone and it looked like the Indian team was out of the contest and England was going to win the Champions Trophy 2013. With all the pressure on the Indian side, the fans were expecting something big from the captain and this is when Dhoni called Ishant Sharma to bowl the 18th over of the match and 28 runs were required from it.

MS Dhoni told Ishant Sharma to go with the same plans as he was doing in the spell before. But his spell was a bit expensive and hence the Indian fans were confused about what MS Dhoni was thinking here. As the over commenced, England's Eoin Morgan dispatched Sharma's second delivery for a six, intensifying the pressure on the Indian team. This made MS Dhoni have a word with the bowler and advised him to bowl some wide yorkers to ensure they have some dot balls in the over. But, Instead of dot deliveries, Ishant Sharma got two wide balls and hence the pressure increased on him.

(Ishant Sharma and MS Dhoni before the Champions Trophy 2013 Finals)

This is where Ishant Sharma changed the plan and went on with his instinct to bowl what he wanted to do in the match. He informed the captain about the decision and made the fielding changes according to his needs. He started using his slower balls well and this was the impact that he was looking to make. The next ball bowled by him was a slower one to Eoin Morgan who threw his wicket away to bring India back into the match. Just like Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara was also trapped in the same way who was caught out by R Ashwin and hence India got their doors open to make a comeback in the match now.

After the over of Ishant Sharma, it was the turn of Ravindra Jadeja who further turned the match in India’s favour by getting the wickets of Jos Buttler and Tim Bresnan in the over and provided Ashwin 14 runs to defend in the final over of the game. R Ashwin bowled a superb last over and gave away just 8 runs to give India their 3rd ICC Title within a span of 7 years. This 5 run win ensured that India held the ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy title at the same time.

“He [MS Dhoni] asked me again to come over the stumps and try bowl wide yorkers. I asked him to let me try to bowl a slower ball then something might happen. That’s how the game suddenly changed.”

In a recent video by the ICC, Ishant Sharma shared insights into a crucial over he bowled during a match, highlighting his partnership with former Indian captain MS Dhoni. Sharma praised Dhoni's exceptional ability to read the game, considering him one of the best in cricket. Reflecting on their collaboration, Sharma revealed how Dhoni's support helped him during challenging times. Despite periods of subpar performance, Dhoni's unwavering backing ensured Sharma retained his spot in the team. This anecdote illustrates Dhoni's remarkable leadership and commitment to his teammates' success.

Champions Trophy 2013: A perfect tournament for the Indian team

ICC Champions Trophy 2013 was scheduled in England and the top 8 teams at that time qualified for the tournament. India played their first match against South Africa and it was the first match where MS Dhoni asked Rohit Sharma to open the innings and he went on to score 65 runs in the first innings while Shikhar Dhawan posted a century. In the end, India bundled out South Africa for just 305 runs and they got the win by 26 runs to start their tour tournament well.

After this, the Indian team played West Indies at the Kennington Oval, London, and India restricted their opponents to just 233 runs in the 50 overs played. While chasing, Shikhar Dhawan again scored a century to give India a win in just 39.1 overs and with 8 wickets to allow the team to get at the top position in the points table.

(The Indian team celebrates after winning the Champions Trophy Finals 2013)

The third league match of the Indian team was against their arch-rivals Pakistan and it was the game that gave India the confidence that they could win the tournament. While bowling first, India got the Pakistan team all out for just 165 runs and it looked like an easy win for them. However, with the match getting rain interruptions, they were given a target of 102 runs and they chased the target in just 19.1 overs to claim the win by 8 wickets.

With the league matches done, India was now playing against Sri Lanka in the Semi-Finals of the competition and Sri Lanka went to bat first. In their 50 overs of the game, they could just manage 181 runs from 8 wickets and India looked all set for another victory to claim the final spot. Shikhar Dhawan again proved to be vital for the team and his 68 runs of 92 balls allowed the team to chase the target in just 35 overs.

The Finals of the Champions Trophy 2013 was between India and England at the Edgbaston, Birmingham. However, the contest was rain affected and hence it was a 20-over game for both teams. While batting first, the Indian team went on to score 129 runs with the loss of 7 wickets as it was Virat Kohli who got 43 runs from the 35 balls played. England's team looked comfortable while chasing the target but the 18th over from Ishant Sharma unsettled them and hence India lifted the trophy after winning the match by 5 runs.