Dhoni's career-best score, but not most memorable

Mahendra Singh Dhoni appears to be modest in his interview with Rediff.com's Bikash Mohapatra about scoring a majestic double century.

It might have been his first double hundred in Test cricket.

-Dhoni has changed; he's more assertive: Gavaskar

It might have been an innings that helped him break a plethora of records.

And it might have been a performance that helped him silence his detractors to a considerable extent.

However, when asked if his career-best innings of 224 at the MA Chidabaram stadium in the opening Test, was the most memorable innings he had ever played, MS Dhoni replied in the negative. The Indian captain pointed out that it was an innings during the formative years of his career that he would always cherish.

"I feel the 76 runs I scored at Lord's in the 2007 series were very special because that innings helped us win the series," confessed Dhoni. He proceeded to elaborate on the point he was trying to make.

"It's not the just amount of runs alone, but often it's the weightage of the innings that you've played that matters," explained the Indian captain.

"It might be just 25-30 runs that you've scored, but if they have a big impact on a match or a series, then that can be really special," he added.

For the record, Dhoni's unbeaten 76 in the second innings at the Lord's Test in 2007 was one when he doggedly held on with the tail-enders, even as Team India was staring in the face of defeat. Aided to an extent by the fickle English weather, a young Dhoni helped his team avoid defeat.

The visitors proceeded to win the second Test at Trent Bridge (Nottingham) and went on to seal a first series win in 21 years on English soil.

Dhoni admitted his approach to batting hasn't changed much since that memorable series.

"I remember the 92 I scored at The Oval in that series," recalled Dhoni.

"Dilip Vengsarkar was there and he said whether I'd have done anything different," he continued, adding, "I said no, I'd bat the same way, and if I get a chance to hit, I'd hit the ball.

"So nothing much has changed." Dhoni's aggressive approach, without heeding to the fact the longer format demands a lot of patience, has cost him quite a few three figure scores, more recently in the fourth Test against England in Nagpur.

"I've been out five or six times in the 90s now, so it doesn't weigh on the mind anymore," laughed the captain.

"Seriously, I've got out in the 90s plenty of times. I personally believe it's the top six batsmen should be the ones to really worry about the 100s.

"I've never thought about 100s before going out to bat," he added.

Having said that Dhoni, who has only six Test hundreds in his nine-year career -- before his double in Chennai he had not scored a Test century in 15 months, since making 144 against West Indies at the Eden Gardens -- admitted he doesn't have many memorable scores in the longer format of the game, where he still averages in the 30s.

"I think I don't have many big innings so it's slightly easy for me to choose," he said, adding, "But at the same time it's difficult as well as there's not much to choose from.

"So let me just say I enjoyed my first Test hundred -- 148 in Faislabad, Pakistan (2006) -- as much as enjoyed this one."