Back in 2005, on Halloween day at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur, something incredible happened. MS Dhoni, the former Indian cricketer, showed the world a side of him that nobody had seen before. He wasn’t just the quiet guy anymore; he became a batting powerhouse, leaving the Sri Lankan bowlers in awe.
Earlier that year, Dhoni had already made a name for himself with a brilliant performance against Pakistan. But after some quieter games, people were starting to wonder if he could do it again. Then came the match against Sri Lanka, and Dhoni proved everyone wrong.
Watch: MS Dhoni takes Sri Lankan bowlers to cleaners
Despite a tough target set by Sri Lanka and an early setback with Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal, India didn’t give up. Dhoni, who was promoted to bat at No.3, took his time at the start. But when he finally let loose, it was like fireworks on the field. Teaming up with Virender Sehwag, they showed the Sri Lankan team what they were made of.
When Sehwag got out, we thought things could have shifted, but Dhoni and Rahul Dravid batted well together, making a partnership on the ground adding 86 runs. Even after Dravid left, Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh held their ground, scoring 65 runs. And when Venugopal Rao came in, Dhoni was playing Exceptional.
He ended up scoring 183 runs off 145 balls, with 15 boundaries and 10 incredible sixes. India won the game with plenty of balls to spare, but that day belonged to Dhoni and his incredible skills.
Now, after all these years, we still remember that amazing day in Jaipur. It was the day when a young guy from Ranchi proved that he was destined for greatness, and he went on to become one of the cricketing world’s biggest stars.
