There is a famous saying among MS Dhoni's fan clubs on social media that, 'If Dhoni were the captain of Titanic, it wouldn't have drowned', and we cannot agree more as the words here aptly mirror Dhoni's charisma and brilliant sense of judgement on the field, owing to which India penned many chapters of glory in the history of World Cricket.
As MS Dhoni celebrates his 40th birthday today, the cricketing world is buzzing with wishes for the former Indian captain, standing a testament to the love and respect he has earned from around the world in his illustrious International career, spanning 16 years which was marked by his talismanic leadership, fearless batting and unmatched sportsmanship.
Having made his debut in the year 2004, MSD played 144 innings in 90 tests scoring 4876 runs. In 350 ODI matches, Dhoni who mostly batted down the order scored a brilliant 10,773 runs, many of which counted for the numerous match winning cause under pressure and that too alongside the tailenders, thus cementing his status as one of the greatest finishers of all time.
MS Dhoni took over the reins of Indian Cricket from Rahul Dravid in the year 2007 after the veterans in the team recognised his brilliant cricketing brain and his ability to hold on to his nerves in the trickiest of situations. His success in the T20 World Cup where he led a bunch of youngsters to the title victory in South Africa that year further solidified his candidature for the top job. Subsequently he was named the full time captain of India across all three formats in the year 2008.
The Men in Blue scaled great heights under MSD, winning all the three major ICC Trophies – the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 World Cup – which he sealed with his gutsy 91 and the iconic helicopter shot, and the 2013 Champions Trophy along with topping the ICC test rankings for 18 months straight, from December 2009. In addition to dominating the International arena, MS' exceptional leadership was also seen in the Indian Premier League where he led his Chennai Super Kings side to title victory three times in 2010, 2011 and 2018.
Besides cricket, Dhoni's interest in other sports is also well known. MS is the co-owner of 'Ranchi Rays', a franchise of the Hockey India League. He also co-owns the football club 'Chennaiyin FC' of the Indian Super League. MSD's love for bikes is no hidden secret and along with owning dozens of bikes, he is also the co-owner of a Supersport World Championship team, Mahi Racing Team India.
Above all, Dhoni's passion for the Indian Armed forces is what makes him stand out of the rest. In the year 2011, MS was conferred with the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Territorial Army for his services to Indian Cricket. He was often seen spending time and training with the Indian army during his free time as an active player.
Dhoni, after a decade and half at International Cricket, finally called it quits last year on 15th August with an emotional video featuring his journey with Mukesh's iconic song, which he also calls the philosophy of his life – "Main pal do pal ka shayar hu" playing in the background, putting an end to all the retirement speculations and distasteful comments after his heart breaking run out which resulted in India's Semi Final exit in the 2019 World Cup at the hands of New Zealand.
Nonetheless, MSD fans now eagerly await to see their 'Thala' roar once again in the remaining leg of IPL which resumes from September in the UAE, where he will be keen to avenge his side's humiliating run in the last edition of the league and 'finish things off in style' for the yellow brigade.
Happy Birthday MSD, we miss you!
