Wisden
First One-Day International

Bangladesh v India, 2007

Utpal Shuvro

At Mirpur, May 10, 2007. India won by five wickets. Toss: Bangladesh.

When India were 144 for five, needing another 107 from 113 balls, they were glaring at their third defeat in four games against Bangladesh. The bowlers' tails were up, and Dhoni was struggling with cramp - batting virtually on one leg, with a runner. But he defied the pain and bravely guided India home with one over to spare. Dhoni was helped in an unbeaten century stand by Karthik, a fellow-keeper playing as a batsman, and by Habibul Bashar's surprising tactic of spreading the field. Earlier, rain had shortened the match to 47 overs a side. Javed Omar and Tamim Iqbal started like the tortoise and the hare, before Mohammad Ashraful inspired a rush of 80 in the last ten overs. It seemed it might suffice until Dhoni's heroics.

Man of the Match: M. S. Dhoni.

© John Wisden & Co.