“Know your dream. Know your targets. And work tirelessly to fulfill them. That’s the secret to success.”
Mahendra Singh Dhoni (The Indian Cricket’s Poster Boy)
Isn’t this obvious that such a statement can be made by no one other than the former Indian captain cool MS Dhoni. He has been one of the most favorite cricket stars whose voyage is a sheer inspiration to millions. How he has grown from the day he joined the Indian team squad is the result of his calm attitude and thoughtful leadership skills.
This legendary batsman and wicket-keeper has made multiple records and supported the team through thick and thin. Under his captaincy, the Indian cricket team won the ICC World Twenty20 title in 2007.
MSD is the one who helped the young Indian squad become even more consistent and powerful and that is why he has a huge fan base in the landscape of fantasy cricket. One of the most popular platforms in the niche has made him the brand ambassador. But this isn’t the only achievement the young cricket star has earned. The list is quite long. Interested in exploring more about the MS Dhoni game and his era? Let’s begin then!
How Was Captain Cool As A Kid? Also, What Made A Ticket Checker The Biggest Indian Cricket Sensation?
Dhoni was born in Ranchi on July 7, 1981, to a middle-class Rajput family as the youngest of three siblings. His father was a public sector employee and his mother, a homemaker. MSD completed his schooling from Jharkhand. At that time he played as a goalie for his school’s football team.
In 1998, his cricketing journey started as he began to play for the Central Coalfields Limited team. The former Indian skipper was in Bihar under-19 squad in 1998-99 and represented the same state in the Ranji trophy in 1999-2000. The initial phase of MSD’s career was a little tough as he worked as a ticket examiner at Kharagpur station in 2001.
However, his hard work and determination paid off well in 2003-04 Ranji Trophy where he represented the Jharkhand’s cricket team and in the same year he made an entry to the team India A when the team was on a tour to Kenya and Zimbabwe.
What impressed everyone was the phenomenal catching and stumping techniques showcased by the rising cricket star with which the Indian team’s need for a remarkable wicket-keeper ended! In 2004, MS Dhoni made his ODI debut against Bangladesh and the subsequent year marked his test cricket debut against Sri Lanka. The ODI start for MSD wasn’t that great as he got knocked-out at duck but still, the selection panel picked him for the Pakistan ODI cricket series.
Was That A Start To The MS Dhoni Age?
Yes, this particular series proved to be the luckiest one for the cricket legend he scored remarkable 148 runs in only 123 bowls in Visakhapatnam and surpassed the previous record of the highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper.
In 2005, Sri Lanka’s bilateral series of ODI captain cool made a mark again by hitting 183 runs off 145 deliveries that too without getting knocked out! In the same tournament, Dhoni earned the Man of the Series title and finished the series with the highest run aggregate of 346. The year 2006 was considered productive for the former Indian skipper as he performed excellently in a series against Pakistan and grabbed a spot in the ICC ODI Batsmen Rankings by replacing Ricky Ponting.
How Was The 2007 World Cup Experience For MSD?
The period preceding the 2007 Cricket World Cup went well for the Indian cricket players as the squad won series against Sri Lanka and West Indies. In both the series captain cool had an average above 100. The Indian squad got knocked out of the championship after losing against Sri Lankan and Bangladesh teams in the group stage.
The span wasn’t that great for Dhoni’s as his under-construction home in Ranchi was vandalized by political activists. However, he performed amazingly in a match against Bangladesh when the team India was on a tour to their home soil in 2007. Dhoni was held the Man of The Match as well as the Series.
Mr. Cool vice-captained the Indian cricket ODI squad for the series against South Africa and England. In June 2007, BCCI upgraded Dhoni to an ‘A’ grade contract and named the skipper for the India T20 squad in the same year in September. India-Australia 2009 series proved to be great for the stumping genius as he scored well and took the first-ever international wicket as well.
The same year marked his dominance in the ICC ODI Batsman rankings for a couple of months that was changed by Australian batting sensation Michael Hussey. Besides, ICC named him as skipper and wicketkeeper of the World ODI XI in 2009.
Unfortunately, the MS dhoni game wasn’t at the peak in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. Yet, this superstar led the team to lift their second World Cup title by defeating Sri Lanka. Dhoni was named as the Man of The Match by hitting a mesmerizing 91 not out and finishing the game in just his style with a remarkable sixer.
Was The Post 2011 World Cup Era Also That Phenomenal For The Captain Cool?
When Pakistan toured India for a bilateral series in 2012 Dhoni was the top scorer in all three innings. Indian squad lost the series but his performance was amazing. Under his captaincy, the team won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and became the first and only international skipper to grab all the ICC titles.
The 2013-14 tour of the Indian team to New Zealand and South Africa wasn’t good for MSD as his squad lost both of the series. But his half-century helped his team to avoid a whitewash and in 2014 his team won an ODI series against West Indies and England.
The 2015 World Cup wasn’t great for the team India as they lost in the semi-finals against Aussies. But MS became the first Indian captain to win all the group phase matches. In 2017, Dhoni decided to step down from the team’s captaincy in the limited over formats.
How About Taking A Glimpse Of MSD’s Stats & Accomplishments?
While Dhoni has given up the captaincy in the limited over formats cricket, he is a phenomenal figure in the Indian cricket. The current captain, Virat Kohli looks up to him in times of crisis.
He leads the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. H has proved his mettle in the IPL, a form of franchise cricket, multiple times. The last one being, in 2018. When he decides to end his cricket career, it would be an end to the golden era of Indian cricket.
Being an extremely inspirational leader for budding players and his fans alike, let’s look at the records he created, in the twilight of his career.
1. Dhoni’s Test Cricket Stats:
He has played a total of 90 tests and scored 4876 runs with the highest of 224 runs against Australia in 2013. Also, he has taken 256 catches and done 38 stumping’s behind the wickets.
2. Dhoni’s ODI Stats:
MSD has played 265 ODI matches in his career and scored 8620 runs. The highest score of Dhoni was 183 runs out of 145 deliveries that too a not-out innings against Sri Lanka in 2005-06. In this format, MS Dhoni grabbed 246 catches and executed 85 stumpings as a wicket-keeper.
3. Dhoni’s Twenty20 Stats:
MSD was the skipper for the Chennai Super Kings team and helped the squad win two IPL titles. Also, he has captained the team India 20-20 squad and played 85 international innings for the format with the highest being 56 against England in 2017.
After walking through his amazing stats let’s look at a couple of his awards and accomplishments:
a. Dhoni has earned some of the most prestigious Indian awards like Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna title for his quintessential cricket journey and performances.
b. He was named MTV Youth Icon of the Year in 2006 and won the LG People’s Choice Award in 2013.
c. In 2011, MSD received an honorary doctorate degree by the esteemed De Montfort University.
d. He holds the record of hitting the maximum sixes as a skipper in the International cricket matches.
e. Dhoni is the first Indian wicket-keeper who scored 4000 test runs as a skipper.
f. He has done the most number of stumpings in international cricket and is the only captain to hit an ODI century while playing at number seven spot.
g. MS Dhoni is the only Indian skipper under whose captaincy team India has made the highest test score of 729.
i. He holds the record of making 10 sixes in an innings that landed at the sixth-highest spot for the ODI cricket.
j. MSD has grabbed the ICC ODI player of the year award for 2008 and 2009. Also, he has earned the recognition of the Castrol Indian Cricketer in the year 2011.
How Did Dhoni Win Million Hearts Across The Globe?
Along with his pragmatic approach and phenomenal batting skills, Dhoni has proved time and again that he is a man of a golden heart. In 2007, when the team India won the World T20 championship he allowed his teammates to hold and trophy and enjoy the proud moment. He let Sourav Ganguly lead the team during his farewell test match in 2008. These polite and respectful gestures have made him a favorite of millions of cricket fans.
What About Dhoni’s Dominance In The Fantasy Cricket World?
Dhoni has led the Indian cricket squad quite confidently in all the game formats. But under his captaincy, the aggressive and intense side of the Indian cricket players have showed-up well. The team became extremely potential as he gave a chance to many young cricketers. This is the reason Dhoni has been a hot favorite on the fantasy cricket sites as well. Fantasy fans just love to cherry-pick him and make their virtual teams even more efficient and powerful.
There has been no other cricketer like MS Dhoni in Indian cricket history. What makes him extra special is his capacity to control his team players and guide them throughout like a real mentor. As the cricket world is abuzz of his retirement rumors we know that there is still so much cricket left in his soul. We will definitely get an opportunity to witness the same in the next year’s Twenty20 world cup!
