This Story Behind MS Dhoni Will Haunt You Forever!

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is an Indian cricketer who captained the Indian team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2016 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. An attacking right-handed middle-order batsman and wicket-keeper, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest finishers in limited-overs cricket. He is also regarded to be one of the best wicket-keepers in world cricket and is known to have very fast hands. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and played his first Test a year later against Sri Lanka.

Dhoni holds numerous captaincy records such as most wins by an Indian captain in Tests and ODIs, and most back-to-back wins by an Indian captain in ODIs. He took over the ODI captaincy from Rahul Dravid in 2007 and led the team to its first-ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the CB Series of 2007–08, the 2010 Asia Cup, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. In the final of the 2011 World Cup, Dhoni scored 91 not out off 79 balls handing India the victory for which he was awarded the Man of the Match. In June 2013, when India defeated England in the final of the Champions Trophy in England, Dhoni became the first captain to win all three ICC limited-overs trophies (World Cup, Champions Trophy and the World Twenty20). After taking up the Test captaincy in 2008, he led the team to series wins in New Zealand and West Indies, and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2008, 2010 and 2013. In 2009, Dhoni also led the Indian team to number one position for the first time in the ICC Test rankings. In 2013, under his captaincy, India became the first team in more than 40 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series. In the Indian Premier League, he captained the Chennai Super Kings to victory at the 2010 and 2011 seasons, along with wins in the 2010 and 2014 editions of Champions League Twenty20. He announced his retirement from Tests on 30 December 2014.

Dhoni holds the post of Vice-President of India Cements Ltd., after resigning from Air India. India Cements is the owner of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings, and Dhoni has been its captain since the first IPL season. Dhoni is the co-owner of Indian Super League team Chennaiyin FC.

His growing stature and cool-headedness led to his appointment as India's captain for the inaugural T20 WC, where Dhoni's calm leadership steered India to victory. He then became the ODI captain after Rahul Dravid relinquished the post, and eventually, ascended to the full-time Test captaincy once Anil Kumble retired.

Leadership saw him change his batting style, as he made a shift from being explosive to being more reliable. With an ODI average that has crossed 50, and a strike-rate that remains in the high 80s, the shift has worked for Dhoni.

As a leader, his hallmarks have been his ability to not duck behind excuses and his ability to maintain his cool under situations of extreme pressure. Dhoni's biggest triumph was winning the World Cup in 2011, which India won after 28 years owing to his exemplary batting display in the final and calm and methodical leadership. Post World Cup, when the Indian team struggled to perform to the levels they did in the previous two years, Dhoni became a lone warrior for the ODI team on many occasions. In that period, he became the first captain in ODI history to record a century batting at No.7 in 2012, against Pakistan at Chennai when he scored a stunning 113 walking into the crease when India were 29 for 5.

Although his fierce captaincy helped India achieve success and grab the top spot in Test cricket, eight back-to-back Test losses against England and Australia overseas put his image as a Test batsman and captain in question. To add fuel to fire, the 1-2 drubbing India received at home from England in the Test series in 2012 earned him criticism from many former players.

In the Border-Gavaskar series in 2013, Dhoni became the first Indian wicket-keeper to hit a double hundred in Tests when he smashed 224 in the first Test at Chennai - the best knock of his career so far. His fluent innings gave India a much-needed victory in the first Test of the series, earning him the respect he had lost during the lean patch the previous year. He also became the first Indian wicket-keeper to complete 4,000 runs in Test cricket. After a convincing win in the second Test match, he crossed Sourav Ganguly's record of 21 Test wins and became the most successful Test captain for India. Under his captaincy, India became the first team in more than 40 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series.

As a captain, Dhoni had a fine run in 2013. In the month of June, Dhoni helped India to win their second Champions Trophy title. He also became the first captain in the history to win all three ICC global events. He led India to victory in the 2007 T20 WC, 2011 ICC World Cup title and ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.

India then won the ODI series against Australia and whitewashed West Indies in Tests in November 2013. In the third ODI against Australia in October 2013, Dhoni became the fastest Indian captain to complete 5,000 runs in ODIs after Mohammad Azharuddin (5,239) and Sourav Ganguly (5,082). The following month, in the second ODI against West Indies at Vizag, Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper-batsman in history to captain his country in 150 One Day Internationals. He is also the second Indian after Mohammad Azharuddin to captain India in 150 matches. Azharuddin holds the Indian record with 174 games as the leader of the side.

He led the side to the finals of the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh, in which India lost to Sri Lanka. Dhoni also is the captain of Chennai franchise, one of the most successful teams in the history of Indian Premier League, which won back-to-back titles in the years 2010 and 2011 and also the Champions League T20 in the years 2010 and 2014.

While Dhoni's keeping record was very good, his Test captaincy came under severe criticism, especially after India's continuous losses overseas. One of India's modern day legends, moments after helping India draw the Melbourne Test in 2014, he announced his retirement from Test cricket. He cited excess workload as the reason for quitting the longest format of the game. However, Dhoni stressed that he would continue to play ODIs and T20Is.

Dhoni successfully led India to the 2015 World Cup semifinal, where they lost against Australia, effectively ending India's 11 match winning streak in World Cups. During the course of the tournament, he also became the first Indian captain and third overall to win 100 ODI matches.

On 4th Jan, 2017 Dhoni stepped down as the captain of the Indian ODI and T20I team. Having led the team across all formats of the game for more than seven years, it was only apt that Dhoni, who is now entering the final stretch of his career, enjoy his playing days, without the additional pressure of captaincy. With Virat Kohli taking over the reigns in all the three formats of the game, Dhoni, who was gears once known for his swashbuckling knocks, has converted himself into a reliable middle-order batsman. His presence gives a lot of solidity to India's inexperienced middle-order and his ability to change gears has resulted in India either posting several big scores or chase down any score.