Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Biography & Profession
Between 2007 and 2016, this great Indian cricketer ruled the Indian team as captain in the limited overs format, and between 2008 and 2014 in Test cricket. Dhoni is a talented wicketkeeper and a strategic right-handed batsman. He is most well-known for the way he finishes limited-overs cricket matches. However, his first ODI match was against Bangladesh in 2004, and he played his first test match the following year.
After taking over from Rahul Dravid, the Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, was solely responsible for achieving back-to-back trophies. Moreover, the ICC World Cup Twenty20 (2007), CB Series (2007–2008), Asia Cup (2010), ICC Cricket World Cup (2011), and ICC Champions Trophy are among the most notable trophies won by the Indian cricket team (2013).
He resigned from his previous job as Vice President of Air India and was elected Vice President of India Cements Ltd. Chennai Super Kings is owned by India Cements. Dhoni is also a co-owner of Chennaiyin FC. M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, a film based on his life, was published in 2016.
Starting Carrier
M. S. Dhoni, who had previously only played school and club cricket, was selected to play for the Central Coal Fields Limited (CCL) team in 1998. His determination and hard-hitting skills impressed Deval Sahay, an ex-Bihar Cricket Association Vice-President, and he was given opportunities to play First Class cricket.
He did not make the East Zone U-19 squad or the Rest of India squad during the 1998-99 season, but he was picked for the East Zone U-19 squad for the CK Nayudu Trophy the following season. He was unable to perform well, and his team came in last place in the competition.
During the 1999-2000 season, he made his Ranji Trophy debut for the Bihar cricket team, scoring 68 not out in the second innings. In the following season, he scored his first first-class century in a game against Bengal, but his team lost.
Money was not a luxury for him, as he came from a middle-class Indian background. He moved to Midnapore, West Bengal, at the age of 20 after securing a Traveling Ticket Examiner (TTE) job at Kharagpur railway station through a sports quota. From 2001 to 2003, he worked as a railway employee.
In 2001, he was chosen to represent the East Zone in the Duleep Trophy; however, due to his position in Midnapore, the Bihar Cricket Association was unable to convey this information to Dhoni in a timely manner. He found out about it after his team had already arrived in Agartala, the match’s venue. Though one of his friends was able to hire a car for him to get to Kolkata Airport for a flight, the car broke down halfway through, forcing Deep Dasgupta to play wicketkeeper.
He continued to do well in the Ranji Trophy and the Deodhar Trophy during the 2002-03 season, which helped him gain recognition. In the 2003-2004 season, he was a member of the East Zone team that won the Deodhar Trophy, in which he scored another century.
In 2003-04, he was called up to the India A squad for a tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya. During a match against Zimbabwe XI, he had seven catches and two stumpings. He also played a key role in his team’s back-to-back victories over Pakistan A, scoring a half-century in the first game and two centuries in the second. Sourav Ganguly, the then-captain of the Indian National Team, took note of his success.
Career in One-Day Internationals
M. S. Dhoni was picked for the national ODI team for India’s tour of Bangladesh in 2004-05 after a stellar success in first-class cricket. Unfortunately, he was run out for a duck in his first match and struggled in the rest of the series.
Despite his poor performance in his debut series, the selectors chose him for the Pakistan ODI series that followed, demonstrating their confidence in him. Dhoni did not disappoint them, scoring a record-breaking 148 in his fifth ODI match, the most by an Indian wicketkeeper-batsman.
Dhoni was elevated to the top of the batting order for the third match of the bilateral series between India and Sri Lanka after not having enough chances to bat in the first two matches. He took full advantage of the opportunity, scoring a fast 183 not out off 145 balls while chasing a goal of 299. During the series, he set a number of records and was named Man of the Series for his efforts.
He scored 68, 72 not out, 2 not out, and 77 not out in four of the five ODIs between India and Pakistan in 2005-06, helping his team win the series 4-1. On the 20th of April 2006, he dethroned Ricky Ponting to take over the top spot in the ICC ODI Rankings for batsmen, albeit for only a week.
Dhoni had a brilliant performance in the two series he played against the West Indies and Sri Lanka prior to the 2007 Cricket World Cup Tournament, averaging over 100. However, he did not do well during the World Cup, and the Indian team was unable to advance beyond the group stage.
In 2007, he was appointed the ODI team’s vice-captain for two series against South Africa and England. In South Africa, he also led the Indian team to the ICC World Twenty20 trophy, which they won by beating the Pakistani team.
He was given the task of leading the Indian ODI team for the series against Australia in September 2007 after his good captaincy in Twenty20. He would later go on to lead India to a World Cup victory in 2011, for which cricket legend and former teammate Sachin Tendulkar praised him greatly.
He scored 1198 runs in just 24 innings in 2009, matching Ricky Ponting’s record of 30 innings in that calendar year. In 2009, he has spent several months at the top of the ICC ODI Batsman rankings.
In the 2011 World Cup, he led India to success. He was moved up the batting order for the final match against Sri Lanka and played a match-winning knock of 91 not out.
He became the first captain to win all three ICC trophies, the Test Mace, the ODI World Cup, and the Champions Trophy, when he captained India to victory in the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.
Career in Test Internationals
During the 2005 series against Sri Lanka, M. S. Dhoni was picked as a wicketkeeper for the Indian Test Team. In his debut match, which was cut short due to rain, he scored 30 runs. In the following match, he scored his first half-century, helping India win by a wide margin.
In an attacking innings that helped India escape follow-on during India’s tour of Pakistan in early 2006, he scored his maiden test century. In the following three matches, he started to shine, one against Pakistan and two against England.
After then-captain Anil Kumble was injured in the previous match and declared his retirement, Dhoni, who had acted as vice-captain during the series against Australia in 2008, was elevated to full-time test captaincy in the fourth match.
In 2009, he went on to score two centuries in a series against Sri Lanka, leading his team to victory. In December 2009, India became the No. 1 team in the ICC Test Rankings under his captaincy.
In the 2014-15 season, he retired from Test cricket after the third match of India’s tour of Australia. He continued to play One-Day Internationals in the years since, but stood down as ODI captain in January 2017. He is, however, still available for limited-overs cricket.
Dhoni International Records
Test record: 90 matches, 144 innings, 4876 runs, highest score 224, average 38.09, centuries 6, half centuries 33, catches 256, stumpings 38
ODI record: 90 matches, 144 innings, 4876 runs, highest score 224, average 38.09, centuries 6, half centuries 33, catches 256, stumpings 38
Matches played: 286, Innings played: 249, Runs scored: 9275, Top Score: 183*, Average: 50.96, Centuries: 10, Half Centuries: 61, Catches: 269, Stumpings: 94
T20 Matches played: 76, Innings played: 66, Runs scored: 1209, Highest Score: 56, Average: 36.63, Centuries: 0, Half Centuries: 1, Catches: 42, Stumpings: 23.
Achievements & Awards
M. S. Dhoni has won six Player of the Series awards and 20 Man of the Match awards for his performance in One-Day Internationals. Throughout his career, he has also won two Man of the Match awards in Tests.
In 2008 and 2009, he was named the ICC One-Day International Player of the Year. From 2008 to 2014, he was a member of the ICC World ODI XI for seven years in a row. In 2009, 2010, and 2013, he was called to the ICC World Test XI.
In 2007, he was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India’s highest recognition for sports achievement.
In 2009, he was also awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian distinction.
On Aoril 2, 2018, MS Dhoni received the country’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.
Family, Relatives, and Other Relationships of Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Pan Singh and Devaki Devi gave birth to him. Narendra Singh Dhoni is his older brother, and Jayanti Gupta is his older sister. He is married to Sakshi Doni, and the couple has a daughter called Ziva Dhoni together.