3 biggest series win MS Dhoni and Irfan Pathan were a part of

Overview

• MS Dhoni and Irfan Pathan were a part of the Indian team that won the ODI series in Sri Lanka 4-1 in 2012
• The duo played a key role in India's major win in the T20 World Cup 2007
• They were also a part of the Commonwealth Bank Series win in 2007/08 featuring Sri Lanka and Australia

MS Dhoni started his international career in 2004 and played for the Indian team till 2019. The ODI World Cup 2019 was his last tournament for India at the highest level. The popular player has continued to feature in the Indian Premier League with Chennai Super Kings since then, ensuring the franchise won its fourth and fifth titles in 2021 and 2023, respectively.

On the other hand, Irfan Pathan made his debut in 2003 and was in and out of the side many a times. However, he had a good career for India in Limited Overs Formats. While the Indian team moved on from him after 2012, he was a part of many of the popular series and tournament wins. In one of India's biggest tournament wins, he played a key role.

Read More: 3 underrated performances of MS Dhoni in International Cricket

3 biggest series win MS Dhoni and Irfan Pathan were a part of

India's 4-1 ODI series win in Sri Lanka, 2012

Back in 2012, Sri Lanka had a good team and were particularly hard to be beaten at home. India played the 2011 World Cup finalists in their backyard in a series of five matches and won it 4-1, which was a great result. Dhoni led India to the series win, while Pathan delivered good performances both as a batter and as a bowler.

Unfortunately for Pathan, it was his last series for India in international cricket. However, he had performed well by scoring 76 runs in 4 innings at a batting average of 76.00 and a batting strike rate of 92.68. With the ball, he claimed 8 wickets at an average of 26.38 and a strike rate of 30.00. 

Dhoni, on the other hand, had a mixed bag. His scores in the series were 35(29), 11(16), 31(49), DNB, and 58(38), respectively. In total, the former Indian captain scored 135 runs in 4 innings, at an average of 33.75 and a strike rate of 102.27. Additionally, he claimed 6 catches and inflicted a stumping.

Also Read: Bowlers with most wickets in ODI World Cup ft. Mohammed Shami

Commonwealth Bank Series win, 2007/08

The Commonwealth Bank Series win was probably India's biggest win in ODIs in the 2000s. It featured the best teams from Australia, India, and Sri Lanka at the time. Each team played their opponents four times in the Group Stage. The Final was played between India and Australia, which the 2011 World Cup champions won 2-0.

Pathan was one of the key bowlers in the Indian attack and did not particularly enjoy as big a success. The left-arm pacer claimed 11 wickets in 9 innings, at a bowling average of 34.18 and a bowling strike rate of 37.45. With the bat, Pathan scored 118 runs in 6 innings at a batting average of 19.67.

On the other hand, Dhoni delivered with the bat, kept well, and led the side well to a memorable series win. The legendary player scored 347 runs in 9 innings, at an average of 69.40, at a strike rate of 73.99 on challenging surfaces to bat. He also claimed 19 catches and inflicted 2 stumpings.

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Inaugural T20 World Cup win, 2007

Perhaps Irfan Pathan's greatest achievement in his career was winning the T20 World Cup 2007. After India's early exit from the ODI World Cup 2007, seniors were rested and a young team was picked for the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup, led by Dhoni. India won when nearly none expected them to, by beating Pakistan in the final.

Pathan delivered the best performance of his career in the tournament. With the bat, he did not have a big role, yet scored 34 runs in 6 innings. With the ball, he played a key role in India's win by claiming 10 wickets in 6 innings at a bowling average of 14.90 and a bowling strike rate of 13.20, including 3/16 in the final, where he become the Player of the Match.

Likewise, Dhoni had a good tournament with the bat, behind the wickets, and as the skipper, as he played a key role in the T20 revolution in India. With the bat, he scored 154 runs in 6 innings at a batting average of 30.80 and a strike rate of 128.33. His captaincy in the tournament was spot on and was instrumental in winning some key moments.