MS Dhoni is regarded as arguably the greatest captain India have ever had. Dhoni was known for his 'out of the box' thinking. Fans remember his decision to go with Joginder Sharma in the 20-20 World Cup 2007 final against Pakistan. Sharma was the inexperienced bowler in the team and had he failed, the team wouldn't have won the cup.
However, he dismissed Misbah Ul Haq and the rest is history. In 2011, the Ranchi player came out to bat at 114/3 and the team needed an in-form player at the crease. Everyone was expecting Yuvraj Singh to come out to bat as he was the in-form player. However, to everyone's surprise, the right-hander, who was woefully out of form, came out to bat.
He scored 91 not out and the team won the 50-over World Cup, second ever after 1983. After a little more than two years, he and his side had the challenge of winning the Champions Trophy. However, they didn't have most of the players from the 2011 victorious team. Sachin Tendulkar retired from ODI cricket at the end of 2012. The likes of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were discarded.
Harbhajan Singh was replaced by Ravichnadran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan had lost his place in the team six to seven months before. However, the team had a good start as they won their practice games against Sri Lanka and Australia respectively. In the league stage, they thrashed the likes of South Africa, West Indies, and arch-rivals Pakistan.
In the semi-final, the Men in Blue played their Asian neighbors, Sri Lanka and stormed into the final. The team which wasn't the contender for the semis were now in the final and needed to beat hosts England to win the ever-elusive cup on June 23, 2013. However, this was the only game in the tournament where the MS Dhoni-led side had to work hard for the win.
The team needed to save 22 runs in just 16 balls with six wickets in hand for The Three Lions. Two back-to-back wickets from Ishant Sharma changed the complexion of the game. Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin ensured that the team wins the Champions Trophy for the first time.
With that, MS Dhoni created history by becoming the first ever captain to win all three ICC trophies in the history of the game. Under his leadership, India won the 2007 20-20 World Cup, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.
#OnThisDay in 2⃣0⃣1⃣3⃣#TeamIndia, led by @msdhoni, beat host England to lift the ICC Champions Trophy. 🏆
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 23, 2022
Dhoni became the first Captain (in Men's cricket) to win all three ICC trophies in limited-overs cricket. 🔝 pic.twitter.com/vRObMfdEm5