Thala for a reason: 7 times when MS Dhoni defied injury to shine for his team

MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in world cricket, for various reasons. His stats for India are well-known, having played 538 matches and scored more than 17,000 runs, which is truly remarkable.

However, what many people aren’t aware of is that he has played several games while battling injuries. Not just once, but many times, he fought various injuries on the field and came out victorious. In this listicle, we are going to see seven major injuries that he has faced and defeated with flying colors.

MS Dhoni’s battles with injury over the years

Back Injury in 2011 World Cup final

Injuries have always been a part of any athlete’s journey, and no sportsman can completely avoid them. However, if an injury occurs during a crucial moment, like a World Cup final, it can indeed be devastating.

MS Dhoni faced such a scenario during the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka, where he was battling with severe back injuries. Many times, he had to seek help from Nitin Patel, who was the physico for the team in 2011. Despite the pain and all the discomfort, he went on to score 91* and give India the title after 28 long years!

Suffering from cramps while playing match against Pakistan

MS Dhoni’s dedication once again came into focus when he was struggling badly with cramps while playing against Pakistan in Chennai during the 2012 ODI series. Dhoni was suffering from dehydration and also battled cramps towards the end of India’s innings. Despite the injury, he scored 113* off 125 balls and took India from a uncomfortable position of 29/5 to a respectable score of 227!

Thumb Injury against Australia

MS suffered from a thumb injury in one of the ODIs played against Australia at Mohali in 2013. Despite the badly bleeding thumb, he took the Indian batting lineup from 78/4 to 303/9, scoring an amazing ton with 139* off 121 balls. Although India lost the game since Australia chased down the score in the 50th over, his efforts were praised a lot by cricket fans.

Damaged eye!

Not just against top teams, but even in smaller series, Dhoni never backed off. In the T20 series against Zimbabwe in 2016, Dhoni was hit by a flying bail during the third T20I between India and Zimbabwe. Despite suffering from this, he played with a damaged eye and came onto the field to keep wickets and led his team to a series victory.

Finger Injury in 2019 50 over World Cup

In the 2019 World Cup, during the group stage match against England, Dhoni injured a finger. However, he continued to play despite the injury. It became known that the severity of the damage was speculated to be a finger fracture. But, he still came to bat and made 42 runs for India.

Knee injury in IPL 2023

MS Dhoni’s knee injury was really the talk of the town during IPL 2023 when he was severely struggling with it. The intensity of this injury was so high that he couldn’t even walk properly during that season. But once again, he fought with this injury and led the team from the front, playing a major role as a tactician, leading the CSK team to their 6th IPL trophy win.

Muscle tear in IPL 2024

After fully recovering from his knee injury, this 42-year-old has been struggling with a muscle tear in this IPL 2024. A few reports have also suggested that his leg muscle tear is the main reason why he is coming down the batting order.