CA's ODI XI Of The Decade: MS Dhoni Captain, 2 More Indians In Line-up

Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have been away from the field for more than 5 months now but the wonders he did in this decade can’t be forgotten ever. In these 10 years, he took the Indian cricket to new heights and became the icon of the game in the modern era. Following his accomplishment, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has been named as the captain of the Cricket Australia’s (CA) ODI team of the decade. The announcement was made on Tuesday and the lineup features a total of three Indian players. Besides Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma made the cut. “The input of MS Dhoni with the bat did tail off during the latter part of the decade, but he was a dominant force in a golden period for India’s one-day side. Having assured his greatness by guiding his nation to World Cup glory on home soil in 2011, the right-hander became India’s ultimate finisher with the bat,” CA said while praising Dhoni. “Dhoni’s average of more than 50 is undoubtedly boosted by the fact that 49 of his innings were unbeaten. But on the 28 occasions, he has been not out in a run chase this decade; India has lost only three times. And his work behind the stumps has rarely let him or his bowlers down,” it added. Rohit and South Africa’s Hashim Amla have been chosen as the opener of the side. Former Proteas skipper AB de Villiers has been also chosen to play at the number four batting position. Pacer Jasprit Bumrah and opener Shikhar Dhawan did not make the ODI team of the decade, but CA listed them as honourary mentions. CA’s ODI team of the decade: Rohit Sharma, Hashim Amla, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Shakib Al Hasan, Jos Buttler, MS Dhoni (c), Mitchell Starc, Trent Boult, Lasith Malinga, Rashid Khan.