Cricketers often achieve worship-worthy status in a country like India, where cricket is so much more than a sport. It is therefore hard for us to forget Mahendra Singh Dhoni, our most legendary “captain-cool.”
After all, the right-handed batsman has amassed a fortune by smashing balls fiercely with a face that can match any poker expert, concluding nail-biting matches with his famous helicopter shots, and stumping batsmen with the ferocity of a cheetah.
His is a classic rags-to-riches story about a small-town kid making it big in the big city, showcasing the triumph of tenacity against all circumstances.
Dhoni has accumulated several honors, records, and jaw-dropping victories during his 15-year international career, making it incredibly difficult for us to identify the top five MS Dhoni moments. But, hello, we’re up to the challenge!
1. His first knock to recognition.
In 2005, when Dhoni walked down the pitch for the second match of the India-Pakistan ODI Series, he was shouldering the burden of poor performance in his maiden Bangladesh tour in 2004. His 148 runs off 123 balls, on the other hand, silenced wagging tongues and plunged India into a frenzy of pleasure. This was only the beginning of Dhoni’s record-breaking career.
2. Proving that he was just not any other captain.
Dhoni’s career trajectory was a mix of highs and lows from 2004 to 2007, which is why his selection as captain of the ICC World Twenty20 team, which featured huge names like Tendulkar, Dravid, and Ganguly, surprised the specialists. Dhoni, of course, did what he has been now famous for: he won the inaugural World T20 Cup.
3. Dhoni Acing Test Cricket and IPL.
For Dhoni, the World T20 Cup was like sampling blood; in 2009-2010, he led India to number one in the ICC Test Rankings, a first for India. His brilliance in this style of the game was created in 2013, when he hit his maiden double-ton against Australia in a tournament that India won 4-0, whitewashing Australia for the first time in 40 years. In 2010, the Dhoni-led ‘Chennai Super Kings’ won the Indian Premier League Trophy, the first of three titles the franchise has won since.
4. Lifting the well-deserved World Cup 2011.
The rowdy crowd at Wankhede held its breath till MS Dhoni’s final six fell among the throng, giving India their second World Cup title in 28 years. He won the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his tactical decision to bat at number 5 and his 91 not out.
5. One and only captain to win all 3 limited-overs trophies.
In 2013, Dhoni completed his ICC-Title perfect by winning the Champions Trophy, in which India went undefeated to the final, crushing England under his superb guidance.
