Dhoni on his promotion in World Cup 2011 Final: Former Indian captain has given reasons as to why he batted ahead of Yuvraj Singh.
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One of the major mysteries which has remained unsolved as of now for a plethora of Indian fans is the reason as to why former India captain and current wicket-keeper batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni batted ahead of veteran all-rounder Yuvraj Singh during the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
During a tournament where the latter was adjourned as the ‘Player of the Series’, Dhoni came in to bat at No. 5 than his usual position of No. 6 in the final. Despite Dhoni ended up playing a match-winning innings, also playing one of the greatest shots in the Indian history to seal the chase, fans are till day confused regarding the reason behind it.
While many fans and experts have lent their opinion with respect to the same over the years, Dhoni himself was vocal about what forced him to bat at No. 5.
“I knew most of the bowlers of Sri Lanka as they were part of the Chennai Super Kings earlier. I promoted myself because Muralitharan was bowling at that time. I have played him a lot in the CSK nets and I was confident that I will be able to score runs freely against him.
“That was one of the main reasons why I pushed myself up the order during the final,” Dhoni was quoted as saying during the launch of MS Dhoni Residential Cricket Academy in Dongargaon town recently.
The 37-year old cricketer also opened up about performing the dual responsibility of a captain and a wicket-keeper successfully for several years. It is one facet which makes him one of the most legendary captain in the history of cricket.
“Before me, selectors were quite reluctant to make stumper as captain saying he will be burdened too much. But I changed their view with my successful tenure as the captain. ‘Keeper is in the best position to help any captain analyse the match. He is very close to the action and can accordingly guide the team leader about many things. He is an asset for any captain. He can release the burden on the captain with his inputs,” Dhoni added.
Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on Dhoni below:
