On the day we celebrate the birth of arguably one of the best captains in Indian and World Cricket, we remember MS Dhoni as the man that changed the face and the direction of Indian cricket. From being perennial underachievers to the champions of the world in both one days and t20s, Dhoni redefined the parameters of success for India, and took Indian domination to the next level, this cementing his legacy in the pantheon of cricketing greats. His exit from the international stage was just like his entry: without any fuss.
So on his 41st birthday, let us take a look at the few iconic moments that made MS Dhoni “Captain Cool”-
1. That career-changing knock at Vizag
Dhoni started his international career in the worst possible manner that one could imagine, and after a rather disastrous tour of Bangladesh, not a lot of people were happy when he was named in the squad for the Pakistan series. But then came the game at Vishakapatnam, where Dhoni took charge. Promoted at number 3, Dhoni smashed the Pakistani bowling attack all over the park en route to a whirlwind 148 of 123 balls, thus shutting his critics in the best way possible.
2. The legend of the captain- MS Dhoni
After what was arguably the most embarrassing World Cup exits in 2007, not a lot of hope was shown on the Indian side that went to South Africa for the inaugural T20 World Cup. With the big names like Dravid, Sachin, and Ganguly skipping the tournament, and the captaincy given to Dhoni, there were not many who fancied the indians to go that far in the tournament. However, what transpired in South Africa was nothing short of a miracle, as an unheralded Dhoni showcased his unbelievable leadership, with India going all the way to glory.
3. Conquering the rest
The T20 World Cup only seemed to increase the appetite for Success in the mind of Dhoni. Just a one trophy was not enough. He wanted more. He did not rest on his laurels, and went on to conquer previously uncharted territory. He took India to the top of the Test rankings, and won a test series in New Zealand for the first time since 1968. He also led the Indian side that whitewashed Australia for the first time in 40 years. Apart from that he kept dominating in the IPL, with multiple IPL and champions league trophies as well. He just did not stop at one, and kept on going for more.
4. That six of champions by MS Dhoni
“Dhoni finishes off in style”. These words will always be etched in our memories which we will keep on reliving. However, this would not have been possible had Dhoni not decided to take the drastic step of promoting himself to number 5, ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh to tackle Muralitharan. He played a man-of-the-match knock of 91 which culminated in the six that etched his name in cricketing history.
5. The ultimate frontier: only one with all ICC trophies
The one thing that every captain dreams of is being the one who wins each and every trophy there is to be won. Dhoni managed to do what the likes of Ponting, and Waugh could not. In a span of 6 years, Dhoni won every ICC tournament there was to be won: The T20 World Cup, the 50-over World Cup, and the Champions trophy. Till date he remains the only captain to do such a feat. A feat that will definitely take a long time to breach.
Happy Birthday Thala, you’ve made us proud.
Joy Barma
12 Jul 2022This is an informative blog. thank you for this useful blog about cricket.