In India, cricket is not merely a sport rather a religion and players who took Indian cricket often achieved the status of god, as cricket enthusiasts started worshipping them as their idol. Thus, many Indian cricketers have already got the title of idol like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and the greatest captain of all time Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
MS is the only captain with all the major ICC trophies in his cabinet which includes T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup and Champions Trophy. He is not only known for his captaincy, but also for his lightning quick wicket-keeping skills and finishing the match with his top class batting capability.
MS Dhoni marked his footsteps in international cricket on 23rd December,2004 against Bangladesh, however unfortunately he was been run out on 0. Although, even after this he achieved and took Indian cricket to heights which seemed quite impossible at that time.
1} Unexpected Beginning Of ODI Career
Dhoni began the year 2005 with a soild start and proved his worth in cricketing world. He then went on to scored an unbeaten 183 against Sri Lanka and 148 against Pakistan. Dhoni was also awarded the man of the series for Sri Lanka series which gave him a presence of batter in Indian team.
2} Leading India To Glory in Inaugural T20 World Cup
MS Dhoni who was still young in international cricket was given the opportunity to lead India in inaugural T20 world cup, after the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly & Rahul Dravid decided not to be a part of the tournament.
Under MS Dhoni, India defeated Australia, England & South Africa to face their arch-rivals Pakistan in finals of the World Cup. Pakistan required 13 off final over and Joginder Sharma was given the ball to defend which was a masterstroke by Indian Captain. India won the match by 5 runs and Dhoni lead the young Indian side to inaugural T20 world cup victory.
3} No.1 Test Team
Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, India became the number 1 test side in the world during 2009-2010 for the first time in Indian cricket history. This marked the presence and dominance of Indian test cricket in world.
4} The Iconic 6 To Lift ODI World Cup in 2011
After losing Sachin and Sehwag cheaply in the final against Sri Lanka, India were in trouble to clinch the final. However, Dhoni promoted himself up the order at no.5 before Yuvraj Singh. He built a solid partnership with Gautam Gambhir, and scored an unbeaten 91 to adjudged as Player of the Match. The winning moment which was six by Dhoni off Nuwan Kulasekara delivery is an iconic moment which is cherished by every cricket fan.
5} ICC Champions Trophy 2013
We all know Rohit Sharma- the opener, but the man behind who took the decision to give the opportunity to Rohit to open the innings that too in a major ICC event changed his fortunes for lifetime. Moreover in the final, Dhoni gave 18th over to Ishant Sharma who had been over expensive that day, but Dhoni’s decision favored him as he took 2 wickets in 2 balls which helped India win the trophy. With this, Dhoni became the first and only captain to win all major ICC trophies.
6} 2016 World T20
The last major event of MS Dhoni as a skipper of Indian National Cricket team did not had a fascinating end as India lost in semi-finals against West Indies. Although, this is still a memorable moment for Dhoni as India defeated Bangladesh by 1 run when Hardik Pandya took 3 wickets in last 3 balls including a spectacular runout by MS Dhoni.
7} IPL Champion 2018
Chennai Super Kings were back in Indian Premier League after their ban of two year. CSK built side of experienced player, although they were older in age, thus many critics didn’t put CSK to qualify for play-offs in their predictions. However, MS Dhoni not only proved them wrong but also clinched his 3rd IPL title with Chennai Super Kings franchise.
Do let us know which one is your best moment of MS Dhoni in his 15 year long career.