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MS Dhoni turns 40: Players, fans wish ‘Captain Cool’, a look back at a wonderful career

By Adam D Anglo

For over a decade, Dhoni’s unorthodox batting style, especially the famed helicopter shot, gave international bowlers a headache.

As the wicketkeeper-batsman celebrates his 40th birthday on Wednesday (July 7), let’s relive his first century in international cricket.

It was on April 5, 2005, when Dhoni made his first international ton against Pakistan in the second ODI of the six-match series at the Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

Dhoni had made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2004. However, he did not have a good outing as he scored just 19 runs in the three-match series. But the wicket-keeper batsman truly arrived in the series against Pakistan in 2005, as he scored a whirlwind 148 at Visakhapatnam

In the match, India won the toss and opted to bat first. They Sachin Tendulkar in the fourth over and it brought Dhoni to the middle. Dhoni, along with Sehwag, took on the Pakistan bowlers and the duo had a 96- run stand, which saw Sehwag going past the 50-run mark.

Sehwag (74) was sent back to the pavilion in the 14th over, but Dhoni then found support in Rahul Dravid and the duo stitched a 149-run stand. Dhoni smashed 15 fours and four sixes in his innings and scored 148 runs from 123 balls, taking India to 356/9.

India then managed to defend the total bundling out Pakistan for 298 as Ashish Nehra scalped four wickets. A young marauder arrived!

It was only with time that one realised Dhoni was not just any other player, he was born to create a legacy of his own.

Dhoni played 350 ODIs with his highest score being 183 against Sri Lanka. He also remains the only captain to win all major ICC trophies (50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy). Referred to often as ‘Captain Cool’, Dhoni during his international and IPL playing days was known for his calmness on the field.

Over the years, he cemented his place as one of the finest wicket-keepers across the world. His agility behind the stumps gave India many breakthroughs and turned matches on their head. He is also known for being precise with DRS and many have suggested changing the ‘Decision-Review System’ to ‘Dhoni-Review System’.

In December 2014, he announced his retirement from Tests. He called time on his Test career after playing 90 Tests, managing 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09. In 2017, he handed over the captaincy to Virat Kohli in the 50-over format.

However, the wicket-keeper shared a great camaraderie with the latter and the duo was often seen taking decisions together on the field. When Dhoni called time on his career, Kohli’s heartfelt post on social media indicated his admiration for the former India skipper.

Under Dhoni’s leadership, India also managed to attain the number one ranking in Test cricket. His Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has won the tournament thrice under his leadership. Now, Dhoni will be back in action during the second leg of the IPL 2021 in the UAE.

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