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Mahendra Singh Dhoni, popularly known as MS Dhoni is an Indian professional cricket player who used to play as a right-handed batsman and the wicketkeeper of the Indian National Cricket team, his captaincy is said to be one of the most victorious periods for Indian Cricket, it was under his captaincy that India won the 2011 world cup, the champions trophy and the 2007 T20 world cup. Read on to learn more about the biography of MS Dhoni, the greatest captain of the Indian cricket team.
Table of Contents
Biography of MS Dhoni
Here is an overview table of the biography of MS Dhoni:
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Mahendra Singh Dhoni |
| Nickname | Mahi |
| Birthdate | July 7, 1981 |
| Birthplace | Ranchi, India |
| Role | Former Captain and Wicket-keeper Batsman |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium |
| Domestic Team | Jharkhand |
| IPL Team | Chennai Super Kings (Captain) |
| International Debut | December 2004 |
| Retirement | International Cricket: August 2020, IPL: 2023 |
| Major Achievements | ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Captain |
| ICC T20 World Cup 2007 Captain | |
| Champions Trophy 2013 Captain | |
| Asia Cup 2010 Captain |
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Early Life of MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni, or Captain Cool as the whole country knows him was born on July 7, 1981, in Ranchi, Bihar which is now Jharkhand in the family of Pan Singh and Devaki Devi, and is also the youngest among the three children.
- He completed his schooling from DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir where he initially used to play football as the goalkeeper of the school team.
- On the suggestion of his coach Keshav Banerjee, he was selected to play for the school cricket team.
- He started his career as a wicketkeeper for the Commando cricket club from 1995 to 1998.
- Due to his diligent batting performance, his team qualified for the higher division.
- Because of his performance, he was chosen for the Bihar U-19 team.
- His professional cricket career started in 1999 when he made his debut for Bihar.
- It was in 2004 that he made his ODI debut for India against Bangladesh.
- Dhoni’s career took a significant turn when he hit a century against Pakistan in 2005, showcasing his ability to finish matches.
- In 2007 he was selected as the Indian ODI team captain.
- Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 T20 World Cup.
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International Career of MS Dhoni
The table below shows the International career of MS Dhoni:
| Category | ODIs | Tests | T20Is |
| Debut | December 23, 2004, vs Bangladesh | December 2, 2005, vs Sri Lanka | December 1, 2006, vs South Africa |
| Last Match | July 9, 2019, vs New Zealand | December 26-30, 2014, vs Australia | February 27, 2019, vs Australia |
| Matches Played | 350 | 90 | 98 |
| Innings Played | 297 | 144 | 85 |
| Runs Scored | 10,773 | 4,876 | 1,617 |
| Batting Average | 50.57 | 38.09 | 37.60 |
| Strike Rate | 87.56 | 59.11 | 126.13 |
| Highest Score | 183* vs Sri Lanka (2005) | 224 vs Australia (2013) | 56 vs England (2017) |
| Centuries | 10 | 6 | 0 |
| Half-Centuries | 73 | 33 | 2 |
| Catches | 256 | 256 | 57 |
| Stumpings | 123 | 38 | 34 |
| Total Dismissals | 381 | 294 | 91 |
| Captaincy Period | 2007-2018 | 2008-2014 | 2007-2016 |
| World Cups Won | 1 (2011) | – | – |
| ICC Trophies Won | 3 (T20 WC 2007, CWC 2011, CT 2013) | – | – |
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Milestones and Achievements Of MS Dhoni
The table below shows the major achievements and milestones from the biography of MS Dhoni:
| Category | Milestones and Achievements |
| Overall Career | |
| International Debut | ODI: December 23, 2004, vs Bangladesh |
| Test: December 2, 2005, vs Sri Lanka | |
| T20I: December 1, 2006, vs South Africa | |
| Batting Milestones | |
| Total International Runs | 17,266 (ODIs: 10,773, Tests: 4,876, T20Is: 1,617) |
| ODI Centuries | 10 |
| Test Centuries | 6 |
| Highest ODI Score | 183* vs Sri Lanka (2005) |
| Highest Test Score | 224 vs Australia (2013) |
| ODI Half-Centuries | 73 |
| Test Half-Centuries | 33 |
| Wicket-Keeping Records | |
| Total Dismissals | ODIs: 381 (256 catches, 123 stumpings) |
| Tests: 294 (256 catches, 38 stumpings) | |
| T20Is: 91 (57 catches, 34 stumpings) | |
| Most Stumpings in ODIs | 123 stumpings (record holder) |
| Captaincy Records | |
| Captaincy Period | ODIs: 2007-2018 |
| Tests: 2008-2014 | |
| T20Is: 2007-2016 | |
| Major ICC Trophies Won | T20 World Cup 2007, Cricket World Cup 2011, Champions Trophy 2013 |
| First Captain to Win | All three major ICC trophies (T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, Champions Trophy) |
| Tests No.1 Ranking | Led India to number one Test ranking for the first time in 2009 |
| Match-Winning Knocks | |
| Notable ODI Innings | 183* vs Sri Lanka (2005), 91* vs Sri Lanka (2011 World Cup Final) |
| Notable Test Innings | 224 vs Australia (2013) |
| Famous Finishes | Numerous last-over finishes and successful run chases in ODIs and T20Is |
| Awards and Honors | |
| ICC ODI Player of the Year | 2008, 2009 (first player to win this award twice) |
| Padma Shri | 2009 |
| Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna | 2007 |
| Padma Bhushan | 2018 |
| Team Achievements | |
| World Cups | ODI: 2011 (Champion), T20: 2007 (Champion) |
| Asia Cups | 2010, 2016 (Champion) |
| Other Records | |
| Most Matches as Captain | Led India in 200 ODIs (most by any Indian captain) |
| Most Matches as Wicketkeeper | Played 350 ODIs, 90 Tests, and 98 T20Is as a wicketkeeper |
| Most International Matches as Captain | 332 matches (combined across all formats) |
| Personal Milestones | |
| Fastest Century by an Indian Wicketkeeper | 148 off 123 balls vs Pakistan (2006) |
| Fastest Stumping | Stumped Keemo Paul (West Indies) in 0.08 seconds (2018) |
FAQs
Dhoni made his international debut in ODIs on December 23, 2004, against Bangladesh.
He led India to victory in the ICC T20 World Cup (2007), ICC Cricket World Cup (2011), and ICC Champions Trophy (2013).
Dhoni retired from international cricket in August 2020.
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