Hyderabad: His inspiring captaincy and ability to finish matches are unmatchable. An unorthodox batsman, Dhoni excelled in many things. He is the only skipper to whitewash Australia Down Under in 140 years beating them 3-0 in the 2016 T20I series. He is the owner of highest ODI score as a wicket-keeper batsman. There are many records he achieved in a 16-year-old career that came to a standstill in June 2019 when he took a sabbatical from the game for an indefinite time. Dhoni has a long trail of records. He is the fastest batsman to grab No. 1 ODI ranking. His greatness in Indian cricket is absolute. He owns the record of finishing matches with the most number of sixes and hitting most sixes in ODI as a captain.
As a captain, batsman or as a wicket-keeper he achieved many firsts in world cricket. Now, on the eve of his 39th birthday, ETV Bharat picks up top records that belong to MSD.
First in ODIs with 50 Plus Average
MS Dhoni, a veteran of 350 ODIs, is the first batsman to join the 10,000 ODI run club with a 50 plus batting average. He is also the sixth-fastest in the list led by Virat Kohli. Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly sit at the second and third position on the list. Dhoni took 273 innings to enter into the exclusive league of 14 players.
Since his debut in 2004, he scored 10773 runs at an average of 50.57, which is the second-highest after Kohli's 59.33.
T20Is: Most wins as Captain
MSD, as we fondly call him, is a change agent of modern cricket. In 2007, in the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa, at the age of 25, the Ranchi boy scripted history winning the pinnacle of the shortest format of the game, the WT20 at Johannesburg's Wanderers Stadium on September 24. It was India's first major ICC trophy after 1983 when India won its maiden ODI World Cup.
It was Dhoni's first assignment as a captain, and he was successful. Since that World T20, he led India in 72 matches and won 41 that made him the most successful captain in T20 cricket history.
IPL: Most Successful Captain
Dhoni's T20 brilliance didn't limit to international cricket alone. He is also the best captain in the realm of IPL. Since the inception of IPL in 2008, he won three trophies as a captain that made him the second most successful captain in the tournament history when it comes to trophy count.
But in terms of wins, nobody can match Dhoni's record. He has won a whopping 104 IPL matches with 66 winning percentage. Dhoni is also the first captain to cross the 100 wins mark in IPL.
Only One in the World
Is there any captain who won all three ICC trophies? Till June 23, 2013, there was no taker for the record. But Dhoni completed the circle winning all three ICC trophies at Edgbaston, Birmingham beating England in the 2013 Champions Trophy final. In 2007, he won T20 World Cup, in 2011 the ODI World Cup and in 2013 the Champions Trophy. When he handed over the Test captaincy baton to Virat Kohli during 2014-15 Australia tour, the idea of ICC World Test Championship had not come yet.
First Captain to Lead India to No. 1 Test Ranking
Though Dhoni didn't get chance to win World Test Championship, as a captain he achieved another first for India in 2009 when India became World No. 1 Test side on ICC Test rankings. He was also the first Indian to lift the ICC Test Championship mace. Dhoni captained India in 60 Tests and finished his captaincy career with a 27-18 win-loss ratio which is the record for any Indian skipper in the longest format of the game.
A few more for you
- Dhoni is also the only player to win the World Cup with a six
- He holds the record of most not outs in ODI cricket with a tally of 82
- Dhoni scored 2 centuries batting at No.7, the most by any batsman at the position
- Dhoni won 9 matches hitting sixes, more than anyone else
- 4031! It is Dhoni's run tally at No. 6 that is the most career runs for any player to bat at the position
- With 38 stumpings in Test, 120 in ODI and 34 in T20I, Dhoni holds the record of most stumpings in international cricket
