Happy 42nd Birthday to MS Dhoni: A Glance at the Illustrious Career of ‘Captain Cool’

Legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batsman and former captain MS Dhoni turned 42 on Friday. Dhoni’s journey is an inspiration in sports history, transforming from a ticket collector to India’s most successful captain, leading the team to three major ICC trophies: the ICC T20 World Cup 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, and ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

In his Test career, Dhoni played 90 matches, scoring 4,876 runs with six centuries and 33 half-centuries. He captained India in 60 Test matches, winning 27, losing 18, and drawing 15, with a win percentage of 45.00. Under his leadership, India reached the number one ranking in ICC Test Rankings and achieved a historic whitewash of Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2010-11 and 2012-13.

Dhoni’s strongest format was One Day Internationals (ODIs). In 350 ODIs, he scored 10,773 runs at an average of 50.57 with 10 centuries and 73 fifties. He captained India in 200 ODIs, winning 110 matches and achieving a win percentage of 55. He is the fifth-highest run-scorer for India in ODIs.

Known for his explosive batting style, Dhoni hit 229 sixes in ODIs, making him the fifth-highest six-hitter of all time. He also reached the milestone of 10,000 ODI runs in just 273 innings, becoming the sixth-fastest player to do so. Additionally, he played 98 T20Is, scoring 1,617 runs with two half-centuries.

Dhoni holds the record for leading a team in the most matches as a captain in cricket history. He captained India in 332 matches across all formats, winning 178 and achieving a win percentage of 53.61.

As a wicketkeeper, Dhoni has 829 dismissals, the third-highest in international cricket, with 634 catches and 195 stumpings. His reflexes and skills behind the stumps are unparalleled.

In addition to his achievements with the Indian team, Dhoni led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to numerous victories in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Champions League T20. He guided CSK to five IPL titles and two CLT20 titles, making him the most successful captain in franchise cricket.