4. Replacing Suresh Raina with Yusuf Pathan in the World Cup

Yusuf Pathan was in brilliant form in the build-up to the 2011 World Cup. However, Pathan was unable to carry his form in the mega event and struggled for runs. In the group stages, Indian lost to South Africa and tied a game against England as India lacked a finisher. Cut short to the quarterfinals of the World Cup against defending champs Australia, MS Dhoni made a very bold decision.

Suresh Raina replaced Pathan, who had till then had not played even a single World Cup match by then. The move proved to be extremely successful as Raina played two match-winning cameos in both the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

Raina helped India finish their innings strongly in both matches and he justified Dhoni’s move of selecting him ahead of Pathan in the two high-pressure matches.