MSD proves yet again why he's the best finisher
MS Dhoni is undoubtedly one of the best finishers of all time. Just days after guiding India to victory over Sri Lanka in the second ODI, Dhoni teamed up with Rohit Sharma, for an unbroken 157-run partnership, to help the men in blue clinch a 3-0 series win. Let us have a look at some of the best finishers of the game.
The best ODI finishers among active players
Of the active players there are few players that are known for their match finishing ability. Here are some of the best finishers based on their performances in successful run chases for their respective teams - MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Joe Root, and Martin Guptill. For comparison let's look at their stats while chasing in a winning cause.
MS Dhoni tops the list
With an average of 101.84 in 65 innings during successful run chases in ODI, MS Dhoni stands head and shoulders above all his contemporaries as the best finisher. MS also has most unbeaten innings in successful chases (of all time), 40 times in total. In this context as a finisher, he has 2 centuries and 17 half-centuries and a strike rate of 89.42.
Virat Kohli top order batsman who sees the team through
Batting in the top order, Virat Kohli's finishing skills cannot be lauded enough. The Indian skipper contributed to his team's winning cause while chasing in 66 innings and has 95.42 average in these 66 innings. Unbeaten on 24 of these occasions, Kohli has scored 16 tons (most by any batsman) and 18 half-centuries and has a strike rate of 97.87.
ABD among top 3
One of the best batsmen in the current generation, AB de Villiers is a clinical finisher too having been involved in successful chases 58 times. The former Proteas captain has an average of 84.66 during these chases and was unbeaten in 28 innings. He amassed 5 centuries and 18 half centuries while contributing to his team's victory.
Joe Root and Martin Guptill complete the list
Joe Root and Martin Guptill are two more top order batters who feature in the list of best finishers. Joe Root averages 81.15 in 21 successful run chases and has 3 centuries and 5 half-centuries. Guptill has an average of 72.68, 6 centuries and 9 half centuries, in 36 winning causes. While Root was unbeaten in 8 innings, Guptill was unbeaten 11 times.
