Great wicketkeeper-batsman on this day in 2007 ms dhoni Made his debut as captain for Team India. After this, the entire nature of the game changed in this cricket crazy country. ICC T20 World Cup In 2007, Dhoni started his career as captain in a high-profile match between the two arch-rivals India and Pakistan. In that match, India managed to tie the match despite scoring 141/9 runs in 20 overs. India later won the match through a bowl-out, in which players from both sides had to aim at the wicket.
Dhoni won the trophy in the first tournament
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s first tournament as a captain was a complete success. The Men in Blue captured the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup title by defeating Pakistan by five runs in the final. Dhoni’s calm composure, confidence in his young, new-look team and his unusual decisions set the tone for what was to come. He gave a chance to Joginder Sharma in the title match, who gave away runs.
Dhoni won IPL trophy after 28 years
Under the captaincy of Dhoni, India won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 after 28 years. In which Dhoni scored unbeaten 91 runs in the final against Sri Lanka and hit the winning six. The Men in Blue also captured the prestigious ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Moreover, it was only under Dhoni’s captaincy that India won its first Asia Cup title 15 years ago in 2010.
Become a trophy collector from ticket collector
MS Dhoni, who worked as a ticket collector at a railway station, became India’s ‘trophy collector’ in no time. Winning trophies with such ease and confidence has never been done before by any Indian captain. These big wins established calmness, unconditional faith in youth, positivity and risk as the biggest hallmarks of his captaincy.
Dhoni improved the youth
The performance of many then youngsters like Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja proved how right Dhoni was in his place. Due to this, he became the only captain to win all the major ICC titles and guide India. Under his captaincy, the Indian team reached the top of the Test rankings in 2009.
Dhoni captained India in 60 test matches.
Dhoni led India in 60 Test matches, winning 27, losing 18 and drawing 15. His win percentage of 45.00 surpassed Sourav Ganguly and he became India’s leading Test captain at that time. He got even better in the coming years with a win percentage of 58.42 percent and several historic overseas victories. The burden of captaincy in the longer format never affected MS. As captain, he scored 3,454 runs in 60 matches at an average of 40.63, which included five centuries and 24 fifties in 96 innings. His best score as a captain was 224 runs.
Dhoni captained India in 200 ODIs
He also led India in 200 ODI matches. Of these, he won 110, lost 74, five were tied and 11 had no result. His win percentage of 55.00 percent makes him one of the best ODI captains ever. ODI was Dhoni’s strongest format both as a captain and player. Dhoni led India and scored 6,641 runs in 172 innings of 200 matches at an average of 53.55. He scored six centuries and played 47 innings, in which his best score was 139. His strike rate was 86.21.
Dhoni scored 1,112 runs in T20
Dhoni led India in 72 T20 Internationals. Dhoni won 41 of those matches, lost 28, one was tied and two were inconclusive. His winning percentage is 56.94. As a captain, he scored 1,112 runs in T20 Internationals at an average of 37.06 and a strike rate of over 122. Although, he could not score a half-century, his best score was 48 not out.
Dhoni captained India in 332 matches
Overall, Dhoni led India in 332 matches, the most by any captain in international cricket. Of these, he won 178 matches, lost 120, six were tied and 15 had no result. His win percentage as a captain is 53.61. This, combined with the trophies he has won, makes him India’s most successful captain ever.
Dhoni’s best performance 224 runs
In these 332 matches, he scored 11,207 runs in 330 innings at an average of 46.89 and a strike rate of over 76. He scored 11 centuries and 71 half-centuries as a captain, with his best score being 224. It would be absolutely correct to say that the burden of captaincy never rested on MS Dhoni. His success at the international level also affected franchise cricket. He represented and led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPG) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni won five IPL titles for CSK in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023. He also won two Champions League T20 titles for CSK in 2010 and 2014.
Dhoni also captained brilliantly in IPL
Despite the immense responsibility as a captain, there was no impact on Dhoni’s batting even while playing for his franchise. He has scored 5,082 runs in 250 IPL matches at an average of 38.79 and strike rate of 135.92. He has scored 24 half-centuries, in which his best score is 84 not out. He is the seventh highest run scorer in IPL history. Dhoni can be seen playing IPL in the 2024 season also.