New Delhi: From humble beginning to dizzying heights, legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batter and former Indian skipper MS Dhoni, who led Team India to three major ICC trophies, turned 42 on Friday. Born on July 7, 1981, in Ranchi of Jharkhand. Dhoni's rise from a humble background to leading the Indian cricket team to countless victories has inspired the journey of millions in the sports arena.
From working as a ticket collector at a railway station to receiving India's highest sports honour, the Major Dhyanchand Khel Ratna Award in 2008, and the Government of India honouring him India's fourth civilian award Padma Shri in 2009 and third civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2018. He is the only cricket captain in the world to win all three of the Cricket World Cup, ICC Men's T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy.
Dhoni's achievements on the field are unparalleled. As the only captain in history to win all three major ICC trophies, he led India to victory. Dhoni also holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Territorial Army, which was presented to him by the Indian Army in 2011 for his service to the nation as a cricketer. Dhoni is considered one of the most popular cricketers in the world. He made his international debut in 2004 and made a name for himself as a ferocious hitter of the cricket ball, but mellowed down with time to a finisher, who would guide his team to win with his calculated aggression and amazing tactics.
Beyond his leadership prowess, Dhoni's exceptional wicket-keeping skills and explosive batting have constantly left spectators awestruck. Coming to his long format career, he has played 90 matches, scoring 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09, scoring six centuries and 33 half-centuries, with the best score of 224. He is the 14th-highest scorer of India in Tests.
During his illustrious career, Dhoni achieved several individual milestones, including being the only captain to lead his team to victories. As a captain, he led India in 60 Test matches, out of which 27 won losing 18 and 15 draws, with a winning percentage of 45.00, he is one of India's most successful skippers across all eras. He is also the only Indian skipper to whitewash Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, in 2010-11 and 2012-13 series. Dhoni amassed over 10,000 runs in One Day Internationals (ODIs) at an average of 50.57 becoming one of the most accomplished wicketkeeper-batsman of all time. He is India's fifth-highest scorer in ODIs and also the 11th most successful ODI batter. He led India in 200 ODI matches, winning 110, losing 74, five tied while 11 failed to produce a result making his winning percentage of 55.
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With 229 sixes, he is the fifth-highest six-hitter of all time and also the second-highest sixes by an Indian. Off the field, Dhoni's humility and integrity have earned him the administration of teammates and opponents alike. ' Mahi ', as he is known to the fans, played 98 T20s for India, scoring 1,617 runs at an average of 37.60. Leading India in 72 T20s, winning 41, losing 28, one being tied and two failing to produce results.
Dhoni has led a team in most matches as a captain in the history of the sport. He has led India in 332 matches across all formats, out of which won 178, losing 120 and six being tied and 15 ending in a draw. Coming to wicketkeeping, he has the third-highest number of dismissals, with a total of 829. With 634 catches, he has the third-highest number of catches in international cricket history. His great reflexes also earned him a total of 195 stumpings, the highest by a keeper in cricket history.
Dhoni is the current captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League. Famously called 'Thala' by his CSK fans, Dhoni has led the IPL franchise ever since the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008. CSK have won five IPL titles under his captaincy.
With these astonishing statistics as a middle-order batter and his success as a captain. His legacy serves as a reminder that true legends are not measured solely by their statistics but by the indelible mark they leave on the hearts of fans and the sports itself. It is unlikely that India and world cricket, in general, will witness a phenomenon like ' Captian Cool ' again.
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