Nuwan Kulasekara opens up on MS Dhoni’s greatness

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni has always been known for his calm and cool demeanour. Under his leadership, Team India not only steered to the pinnacle of success but also effectively groomed the team's future core. Under his captaincy, India clinched the 2011 ODI World Cup, the 2007 T20 World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. Furthermore, legendary players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja made their debuts during his tenure.

Dhoni also led Chennai Super Kings to five IPL titles. One of these victories came in 2011—the same year India won the ODI World Cup after a 28-year wait. In the final, MS Dhoni’s unbeaten knock of 91 runs fulfilled the dreams of 1.2 billion people; that innings was played against Sri Lanka. The iconic six Dhoni hit off Nuwan Kulasekara’s delivery remains fresh in the minds of Indian fans to this day. 

Recalling that final, Nuwan Kulasekara shared a special anecdote. The former Sri Lanka pacer praised Dhoni not only for his remarkable achievements on the field but also for the respect and humility he shows off it. He mentioned that shortly after the final, he was part of the CSK squad in the IPL, yet Dhoni never once brought up that match. This speaks volumes about what an exceptional person he is.

“I joined CSK immediately after the Cricket World Cup 2011, but Dhoni never spoke about that final. That shows the kind of person he is. He is incredibly calm and always focused on the present. For him, the past is over. His only concern was winning the next game. That is something I really admired about him,” Kulasekara said. 

In that final, after batting first, SL scored 274 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. Then SL skipper Mahela Jayawardene amassed a brilliant ton, scoring 103 runs in 88 balls, including 13 fours. In response, Team India got themselves in trouble when they lost 3 wickets for just 114 runs. But from here, MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir (97 runs) made a 109-run partnership for the 4th wicket, and almost sealed India’s victory. Subsequently, Dhoni and Yuvraj completed the remaining formalities.