MS Dhoni

Profile

In the late 90s and during Greg Chappell’s coaching era, when heads were tumbling through the Indian team’s turmoil, it seems all that MS Dhoni did was chalked out a plan on how things would change for better. When granted the opportunity to lead, he showed himself ready and became the solution to most of India's problems, enough to finally fulfill expectations of a long-suffering crowd of supporters.

An Adam Gilchrist-inspired Mahendra Singh Dhoni was drafted in 2004 to solve India's wicketkeeper-batsman crisis following the failure of the Dravid experiment. His start was anything but legendary - getting out for a duck. It was his fifth outing when at home against Pakistan in 2005, that a blistering 148 which set up India for a win, made everyone take notice. It came after India had lost opener Tendulkar early and it was a performance which both calmed nerves and steered the ship - two qualities which would be Dhoni's hallmark in years to come. A mammoth 183 to chase a high Lankan total later in the year reiterated his value. By the end of 2005, Dhoni donned the all-whites to earn a maiden Test cap against Sri Lanka, holding both ODI and Test spots ever since. After India's failure in the 2007 World Cup, Rahul Dravid resigned as captain. In the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 that followed, Dhoni was chosen to lead a young Indian side. Under his guidance, the team quickly turned disappointment to joy by lifting the coveted trophy, to the surprise of both fans and detractors. His ability to excel in leadership was quickly recognized and within a year, he was appointed Indian skipper in all forms of the game.

Under Dhoni's captaincy, India posted successful Test series victories home and away against England (2008), New Zealand (2009) and Sri Lanka (2009). Throughout his first five years as a Test player, India had lost only two away series, a record which helped them top the Test rankings. Under his leadership, a renewed spirit emerged among players with youngsters Raina, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir showcasing fearless determination that had been missing since the 80s.

The biggest accomplishment of his career came in 2011 when he powered Team India to a remarkable World Cup victory with his extraordinary leadership skills that proved his worth as a successful captain. It was after a long gap that India won the Cup, thanks to a bunch of hardworking and enthusiastic cricketers led by a young and exceptionally astute skipper. He played a captain’s innings in the final against Sri Lanka, where his brilliant knock of 91 runs sealed the most memorable victory for his team and his country. He may have won the Man of the Match award in that ultimate encounter, but for a cricket-crazy nation, MS Dhoni will forever be the man who led from the front and fulfilled a billion dreams of seeing the Cup return after 28 long years.

Fast Facts

• MS Dhoni was the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
• He led India to victory in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 and ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011.
• From the time Dhoni took over as the Test captain (2008), India had not lost a single Test series until August 2011, when England whitewashed India 4-0.
• He is one of only 3 Indian skippers to notch above 10 wins in Tests.
• Dhoni became the first wicket-keeper to have ever led India in Tests.
• He's the third most successful (highest run getter) wicket-keeper batsman in ODIs, behind Adam Gilchrist and Kumar Sangakkara.
• Dhoni represented his district and club for badminton and football and was a goalkeeper.
• His football coach sent him to play cricket for a local cricket club where he impressed with the gloves.
• Dhoni became the first wicket-keeper captain in international cricket to bag 100 catches in both Tests and ODIs.
• He is also holds the record for the most dismissals by a wicket-keeper captain in Tests and ODIs.

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Career

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