MS Dhoni: Captain Cool, brilliant finisher, underrated keeper
A devastating, if unorthodox, batsman and a highly underrated wicketkeeper, MS Dhoni will go down as one of the most successful captains in India’s history.
A devastating, if unorthodox, batsman and a highly underrated wicketkeeper, MS Dhoni will go down as one of the most successful captains in India’s history.
Never afraid to make bold decisions while leading his side, Dhoni led his country to World Twenty20 glory in 2007, the top of the Test rankings for 18 months from the end of 2009, and picked up the ICC World Cup in 2011.
Renowned for his trademark helicopter shot, Dhoni is one of the great limited-overs batsmen – he averages over 50 in ODIs – but in the longest form could not prevent India falling away after a 4-0 series defeat in England in 2011 saw them replaced by their opponents as the world’s top-ranked Test team.
A 2-1 home series defeat to the same opposition in 2012-13 was India’s first on home soil for eight years, and when another Test series loss on English soil in 2014 was followed by a poor performance in Australia later that same year, Dhoni retired from Test cricket after 90 matches with an average of 38.09.
When it comes to the shortest format, however, Dhoni is far from done. Captain Cool has now led India to victory in 10 of the last 11 T20Is, with another shot at World T20 glory beckoning.
Full Name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Born: July 7 1981 , Ranchi, India
Country: India
Other teams: Asia XI, Bihar, Chennai Super Kings, Jharkhand
Test debut: India v Sri Lanka, Chennai, 2-6 Dec 2005
ODI debut: Bangladesh v India, Chittagong, 23 Dec 2004
T20 debut: South Africa v India, Johannesburg, 1 Dec 2006
Batting Style: Right-hand bat
