The Indian cricketers have always enjoyed unparalleled recognition in the public sphere, and the one who leads the side carries a weight of billion dreams on his shoulders. It’s not always easy to live up to the hype. However, if a captain manages to fulfil the expectation, taking his team to greater, unprecedented heights, his name becomes the subject of eternal admiration.
MS Dhoni is one such captain who has not only lived up to the hype but even beyond that. In his awe-inspiring career as a cricketer, Dhoni has left an indelible mark on Indian cricket. The records he created, in his stellar journey as a captain and a wicket-keeper batsman, ranks him way ahead of his contemporaries.
As ‘Captain Cool’ turns a year older today, celebrating his 39th birthday at the farmhouse in Ranchi, let’s have a look at some of his fantastic records:
- Dhoni is the only captain in international cricket to have won all three ICC trophies. Under his leadership, Team India won the inaugural edition T20 World Cup in 2007, ICC World Cup at the home soil in 2011, and lastly the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in England.
- Dhoni’s lightning-quick reflex behind the stumps needs no introduction. Unsurprisingly, with 123 stumpings in 350 ODI matches, no one even comes close to his stumping records. Kumar Sangakkara ranks second with 99 stampings.
- The act of both keeping wickets and leading the team can be a perplexing task for any cricketer. However, conventional wisdom doesn’t apply to Dhoni. ‘Captain Cool’, as he is popularly known, has led the Indian team in the most number of matches – 200.
- Although Dhoni made his debut a year earlier, he shot through prominence only after scoring 183 not out against Sri Lanka in 2005. This was the highest ever scored by a wicket-keeping batsman, and the records still stand in ODI cricket.
- With 204 sixes as a captain, the explosive batsman also holds the record of hitting the most number of sixes as a skipper, followed by Ricky Ponting, who has 194 sixes to his name. He is also the first Indian to reach a whopping 200 sixes.
- The Ranchi-born has also registered the most wins in ODI cricket as a captain. He broke former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin’s record of 99 wins by a fair margin. Dhoni relished supremacy in 110 out of 200 matches he played as a captain. The winning percentage also puts him in the league of his own.
Dhoni was all set to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 13th edition of the IPL which was scheduled to commence from March 29. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic led to the postponement of the cash-rich league for an indefinite period.
