ODI career

The Indian ODI team in the early 2000s saw Rahul Dravid as the wicketkeeper to ensure that the wicketkeeper spot didnt lack in batting talent. The team also saw the entry of wicketkeeperbatsmen from the junior ranks with talents like Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik (both India U19 captains) named in the Test squads. With Dhoni making a mark in the India A squad, he was picked in the ODI squad for the Bangladesh tour in 200405.Dhoni did not have a great start to his ODI career, getting run out for a duck on debut.In spite of an average series against Bangladesh, Dhoni was picked for the Pakistan ODI series.In the second match of the series, Dhoni, in his fifth oneday international, scored 148 in Vishakapatnam off only 123 deliveries. Dhonis 148 surpassed the earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper,a record that he would rewrite before the end of the year.

Dhoni had few batting opportunities in the first two games of the Sri Lankan bilateral ODI series (October November 2005) and was promoted to No. 3 in the third ODI at Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur). Sri Lanka had set India a target of 299 after a Kumar Sangakkara century and, in reply, India lost Tendulkar early. Dhoni was promoted to accelerate the scoring and ended the game with an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls, winning the game for India. The innings was described in Wisden Almanack (2006) as Uninhibited, yet anything but crude. The innings set various records including the highest individual score in ODI cricket in the second innings, a record that still stands. Dhoni ended the series with the highest run aggregate (346) and was awarded the Man of the Series award for his efforts. In December 2005, Dhoni was rewarded a Bgrade contract by the BCCI.