MS Dhoni

Profile

As though when heads were tumbling through the Indian team's turmoils, during the late 90s and later during Greg Chappell's coaching era, it seems like all that MS Dhoni did was chalk out a plan on how he would change things for the better. When granted the opportunity to lead, he showed himself ready and became the solution to most of India's problems, enough to finally fulfill expectations of a long-suffering crowd of supporters.

An Adam Gilchrist-inspired Mahendra Singh Dhoni was drafted in 2004 to solve India's wicketkeeper-batsman crisis following the failure of the Dravid experiment. His start was anything but legendary - getting out for a duck. It was his fifth outing when at home against Pakistan in 2005, that a blistering 148 which set up India for a win, made everyone take notice. It came after India had lost opener Tendulkar early and it was a performance which both calmed nerves and steered the ship - two qualities which would be Dhoni's hallmark in years to come. A mammoth 183 to chase a high Lankan total later in the year reiterated his value. By the end of 2005, Dhoni donned the all-whites to earn a maiden Test cap against Sri Lanka, holding both ODI and Test spots ever since. After India's failure in the 2007 World Cup, Rahul Dravid resigned as captain. In the inaugural World T20 that followed, Dhoni was chosen to lead a young Indian side. Under his guidance, the team quickly turned the disappointment to joy by lifting the World T20 trophy, to surprise both fans and foes. His ability to excel in leadership was quickly recognized and within a gap of a year, he was appointed Indian skipper in all forms of the game.

Under Dhoni's captaincy, India posted successful Test series victories home and away against England (2008), New Zealand (2009) and Sri Lanka (2009). Throughout his first 5 years as a Test player, India had lost only 2 away series, a record which helped them top the Test rankings. Under his leadership, a renewed spirit emerged among players, with youngsters Raina, Yuvraj, Sehwag and Gambhir showcasing fearless determination that had been missing since the 80s. It's already certain that 'Mahi', as he is fondly called, will be regarded among India's greatest, not just for his various batting exploits to bail his team out of trouble, but as an accomplished skipper who could challenge and lead the very best.

Fast Facts

• MS Dhoni was the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
• His 183 against Sri Lanka in 2005 was the highest individual score in ODIs for a team batting second.
• Dhoni took just a year and 52 days to cross the 1000-run-mark in One Day Internationals, becoming the 7th fastest of all-time to do so at the time.
• He went on to become the fastest player to score 5000 ODI runs, taking 4 years and 357 days to reach the feat.
• Dhoni led India to victory in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in 2007.
• Under his captaincy only, India went on to become the highest ranked team in Test Cricket.
• Dhoni is amongst only three Indian skippers to have led the team to 10 or more victories in Tests.
• He is India’s most successful wicketkeeper-batsman in limited over formats of the game.
• Dhoni successfully led his IPL franchisee Chennai Super Kings to title triumph in the 2010 edition.

• Statistics

  Show:

  • Batting Bowling Fielding Captaincy

  	Matches	Innings	Runs	NO	Avg.	SR	100's	50's
  Test	52	79	2869	9	40.98	60.34	4	20
  ODI	172	153	5733	39	50.28	88.34	7	37
  T20	25	24	441	7	25.94	112.5	0	0
  IPL	43	38	1033	11	38.25	132.26	0	6
  CLT20	6	5	91	3	45.5	130	0	0

  ---

  Career

  Span:

  Test:

  2005-2010

  ODI:

  2004-2010

  T20:

  2006-2010

  IPL:

  2008-2010

  CLT20:

  2010-2010

  Test

  Debut:

  India Vs Sri Lanka at MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk), Chennai (Madras) - Dec 02, 2005

  Last played:

  India Vs South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion - Dec 16, 2010

  ODI

  Debut:

  India Vs Bangladesh at Chittagong Stadium (MA Aziz Stadium), Chittagong - Dec 23, 2004

  Last played:

  India Vs Australia at ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam - Oct 20, 2010

  T20

  Debut:

  India Vs South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Dec 01, 2006

  Last played:

  India Vs Sri Lanka at Beausejour Cricket Ground, St Lucia - May 11, 2010

  IPL

  Debut:

  Chennai Super Kings Vs Kings XI Punjab at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali - Chandigarh - Apr 19, 2008

  Last played:

  Chennai Super Kings Vs Mumbai Indians at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai - Apr 25, 2010

  CLT20

  Debut:

  Chennai Super Kings Vs Central Stags at Kingsmead, Durban - Sep 11, 2010

  Last played:

  Chennai Super Kings Vs Warriors at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg - Sep 26, 2010