Mahendra Singh Dhoni, or MS Dhoni, is one of India's most popular and successful cricketers today. However, Dhoni's journey to becoming a great cricketer was not easy; he faced numerous struggles in his life to transform from an ordinary individual to a cricketing icon. Dhoni began playing cricket during his school days, but it took several years for him to become a part of the Indian team. Once he got the opportunity to represent his nation, he made the most of it and gradually established himself in the cricketing world.
Birth and Early Life
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Jharkhand (then Bihar) on July 7, 1981. His father's name was Pan Singh Dhoni, and his mother's name was Devaki Dhoni. MS Dhoni has an elder brother and a sister. His brother's name is Narendra Singh Dhoni, and his sister's name is Jayanti. Dhoni came from a middle-class family. He completed his early education at Jawahar Vidya Mandir School in Ranchi. Dhoni's father worked in a steel manufacturing company.
While Dhoni preferred football to cricket in his childhood, his coach, Thakur Digvijay Singh, inspired him to take up cricket. Dhoni played as a goalkeeper in his football team. Observing this, his coach suggested he try wicket-keeping in cricket. Dhoni, with his parents' consent, began playing cricket. From 2001 to 2003, he played for Commando Cricket Club, and his wicket-keeping impressed everyone. In 2003, Dhoni also worked as a train ticket checker at the Kharagpur railway station.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Career
In 1998, while still playing school and club cricket, Dhoni was selected to play for the Central Coalfields Limited team. During this time, he significantly impressed Devendra Sahai, a former president of the Bihar Cricket Association, with his determination, hard work, and outstanding performance, earning him opportunities in first-class cricket.
During the 1998-99 season, he failed to make the Eastern Zone U-19 team or any other national team. However, the following season, he was selected for the Eastern Zone U-19 team for the CK Nayudu Trophy. Unfortunately, Dhoni's team did not perform well that season, and their position in the tournament slipped.
Ranji Trophy Debut
In the 1999-2000 season, Mahendra Singh Dhoni got the opportunity to play in the Ranji Trophy. He played for Bihar against the Assam cricket team. In the second innings of this match, Dhoni scored an unbeaten 68 runs. The following season, he played against Bengal, scoring a century, but his team lost the match. In this Ranji Trophy season, he scored a total of 283 runs across 5 matches. Dhoni also played other domestic matches after this.
Despite his impressive performance, Dhoni wasn't selected by the East Zone selectors. This led him to consider a career outside cricket and pursue a job. At the age of 20, he secured a job as a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur railway station through the sports quota. He moved to Midnapore, West Bengal, and worked as a railway employee from 2001 to 2003. However, Dhoni's passion for cricket eventually led him to quit his job.
Selection for the Deodhar Trophy
In 2001, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was selected for the Deodhar Trophy for the Eastern Zone. Unfortunately, the Bihar Cricket Association did not promptly inform him of his selection as he was then in Midnapore, West Bengal. Dhoni only found out about the selection when his team arrived in Agartala, where the match was scheduled to be played. Although a friend arranged a car to catch a flight from Kolkata Airport, the car broke down mid-way, causing Dhoni to arrive late at the airport, and miss his flight, which prevented him from playing.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the Deodhar Trophy Tournament
During the 2002-03 season, Dhoni continued to perform well in the Ranji Trophy and Deodhar Trophy, gaining recognition in cricket circles. During a match at the Talent Resource Development Wing in Jamshedpur in 2003, former captain Prakash Poddar noticed Dhoni's abilities. Poddar subsequently informed the National Cricket Academy about Dhoni's skills, which led to his selection for the Bihar Under-19 team. Representing the Eastern Zone, Dhoni excelled in the Deodhar Trophy during the 2003-2004 season, leading his team to victory. He also scored another century in this match. He played 4 matches in this season, scoring a total of 244 runs.
During the 2003-04 season, he was selected for the India A team for tours of Zimbabwe and Kenya. In his first match for India A, against the Zimbabwe XI, Dhoni played as a wicket-keeper, taking 7 catches and making a stumping. Dhoni also contributed significantly to his team's back-to-back wins against the Pakistan A team, including scoring a half-century. Dhoni's impressive performance across these three countries was noted by Indian national team captain Sourav Ganguly.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's ODI Career
After consistent impressive performances, Mahendra Singh Dhoni was selected for the national ODI team in 2004-2005.
Dhoni played his first ODI match against the Bangladesh team. However, he did not perform well in his debut match, getting out for zero.
Despite this, Dhoni was selected for the ODI series against Pakistan. This time, he showcased his aggressive batting, delivering a b performance against Pakistan. In the match, he scored 148 runs, making him the first Indian wicket-keeper batsman to achieve this feat. He further solidified his position as a top-class wicket-keeper batsman.
Afterward, Dhoni's performance only improved. In subsequent series against Sri Lanka, Dhoni scored 183 runs, setting new records in the series and earning him the Man of the Series award for his exceptional performance.
In September 2007, Dhoni was appointed captain of the Indian team for the ODI series against Australia.
In 2009, Dhoni topped the ICC ODI batsmen rankings for several months.
Dhoni led India to victory in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. In the final match against Sri Lanka, he played a pivotal role in India's victory after 28 years by strategically elevating his batting position and scoring a valuable 91 runs.
Dhoni's ODI Performance Statistics
Total ODIs played: 318
Total innings played: 272
Total ODI runs: 9967
Total ODI fours: 770
Total ODI sixes: 217
Total ODI centuries: 10
Total ODI double centuries: 0
Total ODI half-centuries: 67
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Test Match Career
Dhoni received the opportunity to play his first Test match for the Indian cricket team in 2005 against the Sri Lankan team. In the first innings of this match, Dhoni scored a total of 30 runs, but the match was interrupted due to rain. In 2006, against Pakistan, Dhoni scored his first Test century, significantly assisting India in avoiding a follow-on.
Last Test Match
Dhoni played his final Test match against Australia in 2014. He scored 35 runs in this final Test match. After the match, he announced his retirement from Test cricket. This match marked the conclusion of Dhoni's Test career.
Dhoni's Test Match Performance Statistics
Total Test matches played: 90
Total innings played: 144
Total Test runs: 4876
Total Test fours: 544
Total Test sixes: 78
Total Test centuries: 6
Total Test double centuries: 1
Total Test half-centuries: 33
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's T20 Career
Dhoni's first T20 match was against South Africa. His debut T20 performance was not as successful, as he faced only two balls and was dismissed for zero, although India won the match.
Dhoni's T20 Match Performance Statistics
Total T20 matches played: 89
Total runs scored: 1444
Total fours hit: 101
Total sixes hit: 46
Total centuries scored: 0
Total half-centuries scored: 2
Dhoni's IPL Career
In the inaugural IPL season, Dhoni was purchased by the Chennai Super Kings for US$5 million (₹10 crores). Under his captaincy, the team won the league three times. He also led his team to victory in the 2010 Champions League Twenty20.
Following a two-year ban on the Chennai Super Kings, the Rising Pune Supergiant purchased Dhoni for approximately US$1.9 million (₹12 crores) and he led the team in matches.
In 2018, the ban on Chennai Super Kings was lifted, and Dhoni returned as captain, leading the Chennai Super Kings to victory once again.
Records Set by Dhoni
Dhoni was the first Indian wicket-keeper to score over 4,000 runs in Test matches.
Under Dhoni's captaincy, the Indian team won a total of 27 Test matches, making him the most successful Indian Test captain.
Dhoni is the only captain whose team has won three ICC tournaments under his leadership. These include:
ICC Tournaments
2007 T20 World Cup
2011 ODI World Cup
2013 Champions Trophy
He captained a total of 332 international matches, becoming the first captain with the most international matches. He also holds the record for the most sixes hit by a captain in international matches (204). Dhoni also holds the record for most T20 international match wins as captain.
Awards Received by Mahendra Singh Dhoni
In 2007, Dhoni was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award by the Indian government, considered the highest sporting award in India.
He also received the Padma Shri in 2009 and the Padma Bhushan in 2018, both from the Indian government.
In 2011, Dhoni was awarded an honorary doctorate by De Montfort University.
Dhoni has also won the ICC ODI Player of the Year, Man of the Match, and Man of the Series awards twice.
Film Based on Dhoni's Life
A biographical film titled "MS Dhoni: The Untold Story" was recently released in 2016, depicting Dhoni's life. The role of Dhoni was played by actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Dhoni and Sakshi's Love Story
In 2007, Dhoni stayed in a Kolkata hotel with his teammates. Sakshi was working as an intern at the same hotel. They met, and after several years of dating, approximately three years, the couple decided to marry. They married in 2010 and have a daughter, whose name is Ziva.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Retirement
Mahendra Singh Dhoni surprised the world on August 15, 2020, by announcing his retirement from international cricket. This announcement caused sadness among his millions of fans, but also prompted many to offer their well-wishes to the great cricketer and captain.
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