MS Dhoni
Dhoni at a promotional event in January 2013. |
| Personal information |
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| Full name | Mahendra Singh Dhoni |
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| Born | 7 July 1981 (age 31)
Ranchi, Bihar, India |
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| Nickname | Mahi, MS, MSD |
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| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
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| Batting style | Right-hand batsman |
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| Bowling style | Right-hand medium |
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| Role | Wicket-keeper, India captain |
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| International information |
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 251) | 2 December 2005 v Sri Lanka |
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| Last Test | 22 March 2013 v Australia |
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| ODI debut (cap 158) | 23 December 2004 v Bangladesh |
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| Last ODI | 27 January 2013 v England |
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| ODI shirt no. | 7 |
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| T20I debut (cap 2) | 1 December 2006 v South Africa |
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| Last T20I | 28 December 2012 v Pakistan |
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| Domestic team information |
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| Years | Team |
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| 1999/00–2004/05 | Bihar |
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| 2004/05- | Jharkhand |
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| 2008–present | Chennai Super Kings |
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| Career statistics |
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He is captain of India in all
three forms of the game and also led the team to their first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Under Dhoni's captaincy India became the first team after a gap of more than 40 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series. Dhoni also led the Indian team to the number one position in
ICC rankings in Test cricket for the first time. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, CB Series of 2007–08, the
Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2008 and 2010 against Australia 2–0, Asia cup 2010 and
2011 World Cup. His Test and ODI records are the best for Indian captains to date. He also captained
Chennai Super Kings to victory in the recent
2011 IPL and in the Champions League. He was named as the captain of ICC World Test and ICC ODI teams for 2009. In the final of the
2011 Cricket World Cup, he hit 91 not out
of just 79 balls to lead India to victory. For his outstanding batting in the final, he was awarded as the man of the match.
Dhoni also holds the post of Vice-President of
India Cements Ltd. (ICL) after resigning from
Air India. ICL is the owner of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings, and Dhoni has been its captain since the first edition of IPL.
[2][3]
Dhoni has also been the recipient of many awards including the
ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian player to achieve this feat), the
Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the
Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian
honour in 2009. In 2009 Dhoni topped the list of world’s top 10 earning cricketers compiled by
Forbes[4] and he has been ranked as 31st richest sportsman in the world according to the Forbes Highest Paid Athletes for the year 2012. Dhoni’s total earnings are estimated to be USD 26.5 million according to Forbes.
[5][6] The TIME magazine added him in its "Time 100" list of 100 most influential people of 2011.
[7] SportsPro has rated MS Dhoni as the 16th most remarkable athlete in the world.
[8]
In March 2013 he became the most successful Indian Test captain when he eclipsed
Sourav Ganguly’s record of 21 victories from 49 Tests.
[9]
Early life and background
Dhoni studied at
DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali,(now the school is known as JVM, Shyamli, Ranchi) Ranchi, Jharkhand where he initially excelled in badminton and
football and was selected at district and club level in these sports. Dhoni was a
goalkeeper for his football team and was sent to play cricket for a local cricket club by his football coach. Though he had not played cricket, Dhoni impressed with his wicket-keeping skills and became the regular
wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club (1995–1998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed well.
[13] Dhoni focused on cricket after his 10th
standard.
[16] Dhoni was a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) at
Kharagpur railway station from 2001 to 2003, under South Eastern Railway in Midnapore (W), a district in
West Bengal. His colleagues remember him as a very honest, straightforward employee of the Indian Railways. But he also had a mischievous side to his personality. Once, while staying at the railway quarters, Dhoni and a couple of his friends covered themselves in white
bedsheets and walked around in the complex
late in the night. The night guards were fooled into believing that there were ghosts moving around in the complex. The story made big news on the next day.
[17][18][19]
Personal life
Sakshi Singh Rawat, Dhoni's wife
Dhoni married Sakshi Singh Rawat, a native of
Dehradun, Uttarakhand, on 4 July 2010. At the time of their marriage, she was studying Hotel Management and was working as a trainee at the Taj Bengal, Kolkata. After the retirement of Sakshi’s father from tea gardens, their family shifted to their native place,
Dehradun.
The wedding stumped the media and the fans as it took place only a day after the couple got engaged.
[20][21] Bollywood actress
Bipasha Basu, a close friend of Dhoni, was quick to inform the media that the wedding was planned for months and was not a spur of the moment decision.
[22]
Playing style
Dhoni is a right-handed
batsman and
wicket-keeper. Dhoni is one of the number of wicket-keepers who have come through the ranks of junior and India A cricket teams to represent the national team –
Parthiv Patel,
Ajay Ratra and
Dinesh Karthik also followed this route. Dhoni, referred to as 'Mahi' by his friends, debuted in the
Bihar cricket team during the 1998/99 cricket season and was selected to represent India-A for a tour to
Kenya in 2004. Along with
Gautam Gambhir, Dhoni made multiple centuries against the Pakistan-A team in a tri-nation series and was selected in the Indian national team later in that year.
[23]
Dhoni tends to play mostly from the back foot with a pronounced bottom hand grip. He has a very fast hand speed through the ball which often results in the ball racing across the ground. From this initial stance his feet do not show much movement which sometimes results in chasing balls while not coming to the pitch of the ball or to some deliveries catching the inside edge.
Dhoni scored 148 against
Pakistan in his fifth ODI match in 2005 – then the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper. Later in the year, he broke his own record as well as set the current world record for the highest score in the second innings in ODI matches as he scored 183* against
Sri Lanka. Dhoni's success in the limited overs format secured him a place in the Test team. Consistent performances in ODI cricket through the end of the 2005/06 season saw Dhoni briefly ranked as the No. 1 batsman in the
ICC ODI ratings.
[13]
Only nine players have captained ten or more Tests while playing as a wicket-keeper. Dhoni leads the field with 33 Tests as captain, 15 ahead of
Gerry Alexander in second place.
[25]
Domestic career
Junior cricket in Bihar
Dhoni was included in the Bihar U-19 squad for the 1998/99 season and scored 176 runs in 5 matches (7 innings) as the team finished fourth in the group of six and did not make it to the quarter finals. Dhoni was not picked for the East Zone U-19 squad (CK Nayudu Trophy) and Rest of India squad (MA Chidambaram Trophy and Vinoo Mankad Trophy).
Bihar U-19 cricket team advanced to the finals of the 1999–2000 Cooch Behar Trophy where Dhoni made 84 to help Bihar post a total of 357. Bihar's efforts were dwarfed by
Punjab under-19s' 839 with Dhoni's future national squad teammate
Yuvraj Singh making 358.
[26] Dhoni's contribution for the tournament included 488 runs (9 matches, 12 innings), 5 fifties, 17 catches and 7 stumpings.
[27] Dhoni made it to the East Zone U-19 squad for the CK Nayudu trophy but scored only 97 runs in four matches as East Zone lost all four matches and finished last in the tournament.
Bihar cricket team
Dhoni made his
Ranji Trophy debut for
Bihar in the 1999–2000 season as an eighteen-year-old. He made a half century in his debut match scoring 68* in the second innings against
Assam cricket team.
[28] Dhoni finished the season with 283 runs in 5 matches. Dhoni scored his maiden first-class century while playing for
Bihar against
Bengal in the 2000/01 season in a losing cause.
[29] Apart from the century, his performance in the 2000/01
[30] did not include another score over fifty and in 2001/02 season he scored just five fifty in each season in four Ranji matches.
[31]
Jharkhand cricket team
Dhoni's performance for the 2002/03 season in the Ranji Trophy included three half centuries in the Ranji Trophy and a couple of half-centuries in the Deodhar Trophy competition as he started winning recognition for his lower-order run contribution as well as hard hitting batting style.In the 2003/04 season, Dhoni scored a century (128*) against Assam in the first match of the Ranji ODI trophy. He was part of the
East Zone squad that won the Deodhar Trophy for the year and contributed with 244 runs in 4 matches. In the Duleep Trophy finals, Dhoni was picked over International cricketer
Deep Dasgupta to represent East zone.
[32] He scored a fighting half century in the second innings in a losing cause.
[33]
India A team
He was recognised for his efforts in the 2003/04 season, especially in the ODI format and was picked for the India A squad for a tour of
Zimbabwe and
Kenya.
[35] Against the Zimbabwe XI in
Harare Sports Club, Dhoni had his best wicket-keeping effort with 7 catches and 4 stumpings in the match.
[36] In the tri-nation tournament involving Kenya, India 'A' and Pakistan 'A', Dhoni helped India 'A' chase their target of 223 against Pakistan 'A' with a half-century.
[37]Stressing on his performance, he scored back to back centuries – 120
[38] and 119*
[39] against the same squad. Dhoni scored 362 runs in 7 matches (6 innings, Avg:72.40), and his performance in the series received attention from the then
Indian Cricket team captain – Sourav Ganguly
[40] and Ravi Shastri amongst others. However, the India 'A' team coach
Sandeep Patil recommended Dinesh Karthik for a place in the Indian squad as Wicket-keeper/Batsman.
[41]
Indian Premier League
Batting Stats in IPL and Champions League Twenty20
ODI career
ODI Career of Dhoni. Brown line indicates 10 match average while the orange line indicates career average progression.
The Indian team in the 2000s (decade) saw the use of
Rahul Dravid as the wicket-keeper to ensure that the wicket-keeper spot didn't lack in batting talent.
[40] The Indian cricket establishment also saw the entry of wicket-keeper/batsmen from the junior ranks with talents like
Parthiv Patel and
Dinesh Karthik – both
India U-19 Captains in the test squads.
[40] With Dhoni making a mark in the India-A squad, he was picked in the ODI squad for the
Bangladesh tour in 2004/05.
[53] Dhoni did not have a great start to his ODI career, getting
run out for a duck on debut.
[54] In spite of an average series against
Bangladesh, Dhoni was picked for the Pakistan ODI series.
[55] In the second match of the
series, Dhoni in his fifth one-day international, scored 148 in
Vishakapatnam off only 123 deliveries. Dhoni's 148 surpassed the earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper,
[56] a record that he would re-write before the end of the year.
Dhoni had few batting opportunities in the first two games of the
Sri Lankan bilateral ODI series (October–November 2005) and was promoted to No. 3 in the third ODI at
Sawai Mansingh Stadium (
Jaipur). Sri Lanka had set India a target of 299 after a
Kumar Sangakkara century and in reply, India lost Tendulkar early. Dhoni was promoted to accelerate the scoring and ended the game with an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls, winning the game for India
[57] – an innings described in
Wisden Almanack (2006) as 'Uninhibited, yet anything but crude'.
[58] The innings set various
records including the highest Individual score in ODI cricket in the second innings,
[59] a record that still stands. Dhoni ended the series with the highest run aggregate (346)
[60] and was awarded the Man of the series award for his efforts. In December 2005, Dhoni was signed by
BCCI to a B-grade contract, skipping the initial C-grade level due to his performance on the cricketing field.
[61]
Dhoni bowling in the nets. He rarely bowls at international level.
India scored 328 in 50 overs with Dhoni contributing 68 in their first match of 2006 against
Pakistan. However the team finished poorly, scoring just 43 runs in the last eight overs and lost the match due to
Duckworth-Lewis method.
[62] In the third match of the series, Dhoni came in with India in a precarious situation and scored 72 runs off just 46 balls that included 13 boundaries to help India take a 2–1 lead in the series.
[63][64] The final match of the series had a repeat performance as Dhoni scored 77 runs off 56 balls to enable India win the series 4–1.
[65] In recognition of his consistent ODI performances, Dhoni overtook
Ricky Ponting as number one in the
ICC ODI rankings for batsmen on 20 April 2006.
[66] His reign lasted just a week as
Adam Gilchrist's performance against
Bangladesh moved him to the top spot.
[67]
Two cancelled series in Sri Lanka, one due to the withdrawal of South Africa from the Unitech Cup due to security concerns
[68] and the replacement 3-match ODI bilateral series against Sri Lanka washed due to rain,
[69] was India's prelude to another disappointing tournament –
DLF Cup 2006-07. Dhoni scored 43 runs as the team lost twice in three games and did not qualify for the finals. India's lack of preparation showed in the
2006 ICC Champions Trophy as they lost to
West Indies and
Australia, though Dhoni scored a half-century against West Indies. The story of the
ODI series in
South Africa was the same for both Dhoni and India as Dhoni scored 139 runs in 4 matches and India lost the series 4–0. From the start of the WI ODI series, Dhoni had played 16 matches, hit just two fifties and averaged 25.93. Dhoni received criticism on his wicket keeping technique from former wicketkeeper
Syed Kirmani.
[70]
Preparations for the
2007 Cricket World Cup improved as India recorded identical 3–1 victories over
West Indies and
Sri Lanka and Dhoni had averages in excess of 100 in both these series. However, India unexpectedly crashed out the World Cup after losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Dhoni was out for a
duck in both these matches and scored 29 runs in the tournament. After the loss to
Bangladesh in
2007 Cricket World Cup, the house that Dhoni was constructing in his home-town Ranchi was vandalised and damaged by political activists of
JMM.
[71] The local police arranged for security for his family as India exited the World cup in the first round.
[72]
Dhoni put his disappointment in the World cup behind him by scoring 91* against
Bangladesh after India were left in a tight spot earlier in the run-chase. Dhoni was declared the man of the match for his performance, his fourth in ODI cricket. He was also later adjudged the man of the series after the third game of the series was washed away. Dhoni had a good Afro-Asia Cup, getting 174 runs in 3 matches at an average of 87.00, with a blitzkrieg 139 not out of 97 balls, a Man of the Match innings, in the 3rd ODI.
Dhoni was nominated as the vice-captain of the ODI team for the series against South Africa in Ireland and the subsequent India-England 7-match ODI series.
[24] Dhoni, who received a 'B' grade contract in December 2005, was awarded an 'A' grade contract in June 2007. And also he was elected as captain of Indian Twenty-20 Cricket Team for the World Twenty20 in September 2007. On 2 September 2007 Mahendra Singh Dhoni equalled his idol Adam Gilchrist's international record for the most dismissals in an innings in ODI by catching 5 English players and stumping one.
[73] He led India to the ICC World Twenty 20 trophy in South Africa with a victory over arch rivals Pakistan in an intensely fought final on 24 September 2007, and became the second Indian captain to have won a World cup in any form of cricket, after
Kapil Dev. Dhoni took his first wicket and ODI wicket on 30 September 2009. He bowled
Travis Dowlin from the
West Indies. During the series between India and Australia, Dhoni hit an aggressive 124 runs in just 107 balls, in the second ODI, and a measured knock of 71 runs in 95 balls, along with Yuvraj Singh, saw India home by 6 wickets, in the third ODI.
Dhoni topped the ICC ODI Batsman rankings for several months continuously in 2009, it was Hussy from Australia who replaced him for the top spot in the beginning of 2010.
[74]
Dhoni had an excellent year in ODIs in 2009 scoring 1198 runs in just 24 innings at an astonishing average of 70.43. Dhoni was also the joint top-scorer in ODIs in 2009 along with Ricky Ponting, but the latter having played in 30 innings.
On 12 February 2012, Dhoni made an unbeaten 44 to guide
India to their first win over
Australia at Adelaide. In the final over, he hit a monstrous six which travelled 112 metres off the bowling of
Clint McKay. During the post-match presentation, he described this six as more important than the one he hit during the ICC World Cup final in 2011.
[75]
Test career
Test Career of Dhoni. Each bar indicates a single innings and the red line indicates the progression in his career batting average. An
alternative image showing a 10 innings moving average is available.
Following his good one-day form against Sri Lanka, Dhoni replaced
Dinesh Karthik in December 2005 as the Indian Test wicket-keeper.
[76] Dhoni scored 30 runs in his debut match that was marred by rain. Dhoni came to the crease when the team was struggling at 109/5 and as wickets kept falling around him, he played an aggressive innings and was the last man dismissed.
[77] Dhoni made his maiden half-century in the second Test and his quick scoring rate (half century came off 51 balls) aided India to set a target of 436 and the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 247.
[78]
India toured Pakistan in January/February 2006 and Dhoni scored his maiden century in the second Test at Faisalabad. India were left in a tight spot as Dhoni was joined by
Irfan Pathan with the team still 107 away from avoiding follow-on. Dhoni played his typical aggressive innings as he scored his maiden test century in just 93 balls after scoring his first fifty in just 34 deliveries.
[79]
Dhoni at fielding practice.
Dhoni followed his maiden test century with some prosaic batting performances over the next three matches, one against Pakistan that India lost and two against England that had India holding a 1–0 lead going into the test match. Dhoni was the top scorer in India's first innings in the third test at
Wankhede Stadium as his 64 aided India post a respectable 279 in reply to England's 400. However Dhoni and the Indian fielders dropped too many catches and missed many dismissal chances including a key stumping opportunity of
Andrew Flintoff (14).
[80] Dhoni failed to collect the
Harbhajan Singh delivery cleanly as Flintoff went on to make 36 more runs as England set a target of 313 for the home team, a target that India were never in the reckoning. A batting collapse saw the team being dismissed for 100 and Dhoni scored just 5 runs and faced criticism for his wicket-keeping lapses as well as his shot selections.
On the
West Indies tour in 2006, Dhoni scored a quick and aggressive 69 in the first Test at
Antigua. The rest of the series was unremarkable for Dhoni as he scored 99 runs in the remaining 6 innings but his wicket-keeping skills improved and he finished the series with 13 catches and 4
stumpings. In the test series in South Africa, Dhoni's scores of 34 and 47 were not sufficient to save the second test against the Proteas as India lost the test series 2–1, squandering the chance to build on their first ever Test victory in South Africa (achieved in the first Test match). Dhoni's bruised hands ruled him out of the third test match.
[81]
On the fourth day of the first Test match at
Antigua Recreation Ground,
St John's,
Antigua during
India's tour of West Indies, 2006, Dhoni's flick off
Dave Mohammed to the midwicket region was caught by
Daren Ganga. As the batsman started to walk back, captain Dravid declared the innings when confusion started as the umpires were not certain if the fielder stepped on the ropes and Dhoni stayed for the umpire's verdict. While the replays were inconclusive, the captain of the West Indies side,
Brian Lara, wanted Dhoni to walk-off based on the fielder's assertion of the catch. The impasse continued for more than 15 minutes and Lara's temper was on display with finger wagging against the umpires and snatching the ball from umpire
Asad Rauf. Ultimately, Dhoni walked-off and Dravid's declaration was effected but the game was delayed, and Lara's action was criticised by the commentators and former players. Lara was summoned by the match referee to give an explanation of his actions but he was not fined.
[82]
Dhoni scored two centuries in Sri Lanka's tour of India in 2009, a series of 3 matches in which he led India to a 2–0 victory. With this feat, India soared up to the number 1 position in Test cricket for the first time in history. India scored 726–9 (decl) in the third match of this series, which is their highest Test total ever.
[83]
Captain of India
Dhoni was named the captain of India Twenty 20 squad for the inaugural
ICC World Twenty20 held in South Africa in September 2007.
[84] India were crowned champions as Dhoni led the team to victory against
Pakistan in a thrilling contest.
[85] He, then went on to become the ODI captain of the Indian team for the seven-match ODI series against
Australia in September 2007.
[86] He made his debut as full-time Test captain of India during the fourth and final test against Australia at Nagpur in November 2008 replacing
Anil Kumble who was injured in the third test and who then announced his retirement. Dhoni was vice-captain in this series up to that point.
[87] India eventually won that Test thus clinching the series 2–0 and retained the
Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
[88] Dhoni had previously captained India on a stand-in basis against
South Africa and Australia in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
It was under his captaincy that India climbed to No. 1 in the ICC Test Rankings in December 2009. After that he managed to lead India in a series-levelling world championship of Tests against the South Africans in February 2010.
After winning the
2011 ICC Cricket World Cup for India against Sri Lanka on 2 April 2011 with his match winning knock of unbeaten 91, Tendulkar heaped praises on Dhoni, claiming him to be the best captain he has played under. Tendulkar mentioned that it was Dhoni's calm influence that was rubbing off on all his team-mates and even under such extreme pressure from every corner the way Dhoni handles it and brings the best out of him was just incredible.
Saurav Ganguly also said in an interview to a news channel that Dhoni is the all time greatest captain of India and he has a great record to support this credential.
Two-match ban
Dhoni was handed a two-match ban from playing in the ODI series against Sri Lanka for the team's slow over-rate during the second one-dayer in Nagpur (18 December 2009).
[89]
World Cup
Under Dhoni's captaincy, India won the
2011 World Cup. In the
final against Sri Lanka, chasing 275, Dhoni promoted himself up the batting order, coming before
Yuvraj Singh. When he came to bat India needed more than six runs per over with three top order batsmen already dismissed. He started building a good partnership with
Gautam Gambhir. Due to good strokeplay and active running between wickets, they kept up with the required run rate. Dhoni was on 60 off 60 balls, but later accelerated with a greater flow of
boundaries, ending with 91 not out off 79 balls. Befitting the occasion, he finished the match of in style with a huge six over long-on off bowler
Nuwan Kulasekara and won Man of the Match.
Later he admitted in the post match presentation that he came up the order so as to counter the
Muralitharan spin threat as he was very familiar with Murali's bowling, being his team-mate in the
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise
Chennai Super Kings. He had come after the dismissal of
Virat Kohli, also a right-handed batsman. By partnering with the left-handed
Gautum Gambhir, he ensured a right-left combination at the crease that makes it difficult for bowlers to settle into a rhythm.
The bat used by Dhoni in the final match,which got the team winning six was sold for
72 Lac. The money goes to Sakshi Rawat Foundation, operated by Dhoni's wife Sakshi Rawat to help orphan children.
[90]
Cricket performance
ODI Cricket
ODI Centuries:
ODI records
- On 31 October 2005 Dhoni scored 183* runs of just 145 balls against Sri Lanka in Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, which is the highest score made by any batsman in the second innings which was latter bettered by Australian player Shane Watson who scored 185* of 96 balls against Bangladesh at Dhaka on 11 April 2011.[59]
- The innings featured 10 Sixes – the most by an Indian in an innings, and the fifth highest in ODIs.[92]
- He broke Adam Gilchrist's record of 172 for the highest score made by a wicket keeper.
- The innings set the record for the most number of runs scored in boundaries (120 – 15×4; 10×6) breaking the record held by Saeed Anwar. However this was later broken by Herschelle Gibbs (126 runs in boundaries – 21×4; 7×6) against Australia during his knock of 175.
- The score of 183* equalled Ganguly's innings during the 1999 Cricket World Cup as the highest individual score against Sri Lanka.
- Among Indian batsmen who have played more than 50 matches, Dhoni has the highest average.[93] Dhoni's batting average is also the highest amongst wicketkeepers in ODIs.
- In June 2007, Dhoni(139*) and Mahela Jayawardene(107)[91] set a new world record for the sixth wicket partnership of 218 runs against Africa XI during the Afro-Asia Cup.[94]
- Dhoni passed Shaun Pollock's record for the highest individual score by a number seven batsman in one-day internationals during his unbeaten innings of 139.[95] Incidentally, Pollock record stood for just three days as his score of 130 came in the first match of the 2007 Afro-Asia Cup while Dhoni's century came in the third and final match of the series.
- Dhoni also holds the records of the most dismissals in an innings by an Indian wicketkeeper and joint International (with Adam Gilchrist) with 6 dismissals (5 catches and one stumping) against England at Headlingly 2 September 2007.
- Dhoni holds the Indian record of most dismissals in ODIs. He went past Nayan Mongia's 154 for India on 14 November 2008 when he caught Ian Bell off Zaheer Khan at Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Rajkot. However including 3 ODIs against Africa XI, his 155th dismissal was TM Dilshan caught off Munaf Patel at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on 24 August 2008.
- Dhoni, when he was on four during his innings of 23 against Sri Lanka at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Saturday, completed 4,000 runs in ODIs. Having already effected 165 dismissals (125 catches + 40 stumpings), Dhoni became the sixth wicketkeeper after Adam Gilchrist, Andy Flower, Alec Stewart, Mark Boucher and Kumar Sangakkara to complete the "double" of 4,000 runs and 100 dismissals in the history of ODIs. Dhoni’s feat of completing the "double" of 4,000 runs and 100 dismissals in only 114 innings is a world record. He is the youngest wicket-keeper batsman to do so (27 years and 208 days).
- Dhoni is the only captain in the ODI history to score a century while batting at No.7.He did this against Pakistan on 30th December2012.
Record in international cricket
| Dhoni's results in international matches |
|---|
| | Matches | Won | Lost | Drawn | Tied | No result |
| Test[96][97] | 73 | 29 | 18 | 26 | 0 | – |
| ODI[98] | 208 | 116 | 78 | - | 2 | 12 |
| T20I[99] | 31 | 14 | 15 | – | 1 | 1 |
Man of the Series Awards:
| S No | Series (Opponents) | Season | Series Performance |
|---|
| 1 |  Sri Lanka in  India ODI Series | 2005/06 | 346 Runs (7 Matches & 5 Innings, 1×100, 1×50); 6 Catches & 3 Stumpings |
| 2 | India in  Bangladesh ODI Series | 2007 | 127 Runs (2 Matches & 2 Innings, 1×50); 1 Catches & 2 Stumpings[100] |
| 3 | India in Sri Lanka ODI Series | 2008 | 193 Runs (5 Matches & 5 Innings, 2×50); 3 Catches & 1 Stumping |
| 4 | India in  West Indies ODI Series | 2009 | 182 Runs (4 Matches & 3 Innings with an average of 91); 4 Catches & 1 Stumping |
| 5 | India in  England ODI Series | 2011 | 236 Runs (5 Matches & 5 Innings with an average of 78.66, 3×50) |
| 6 | England in India ODI Series | 2011 | 212 Runs (5 Matches & 4 Innings with out been dismissed even once in the series, 2×50) |
Man of the Match Awards:
| S No | Opponent | Venue | Season | Match Performance |
|---|
| 1 |  Pakistan | Vishakapatnam | 2004/05 | 148 (123b, 15×4, 4×6); 2 Catches |
| 2 | Sri Lanka | Jaipur | 2005/06 | 183* (145b, 15×4, 10×6); 1 Catch |
| 3 | Pakistan | Lahore | 2005/06 | 72 (46b, 12×4); 3 Catches |
| 4 | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 2007 | 91* (106b, 7×4); 1 Stumping |
| 5 | Africa XI[91] | Chennai | 2007 | 139* (97b, 15×4, 5×6); 3 Stumpings |
| 6 |  Australia | Chandigarh | 2007 | 50* ( 35b, 5×4 1×6); 2 Stumpings |
| 7 | Pakistan | Guwahati | 2007 | 63, 1 Stumping |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | Karachi | 2008 | 67, 2 Catches |
| 9 | Sri Lanka | Colombo (RPS) | 2008 | 76, 2 Catches |
| 10 |  New Zealand | McLean Park, Napier | 2009 | 84*, 1 Catch & 1 Stumping |
| 11 | West Indies | Beausejour Stadium, St. Lucia | 2009 | 46*, 2 Catches & 1 Stumping |
| 12 | Australia | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur | 2009 | 124, 1 Catches, 1 Stumping & 1 Runout |
| 13 | Bangladesh | Mirpur | 2010 | 101* (107b, 9×4) |
| 14 | Sri Lanka | Wankhede Stadium | 2011 | 91* |
| 15 | England | Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium | 2011 | 87*, 1 Catch & 1 Stumping |
| 16 | Pakistan | Chennai | 2012 | 113* |
| 17 | Pakistan | Feroz Shah Kotla | 2013 | 36, 1 Catch & 1 Stumping |
Test cricket
Test centuries:
Man of the Match Awards:
-
Test records
- Dhoni's maiden century against Pakistan in Faisalabad (148) is the fastest century scored by an Indian wicket keeper. Only three centuries by two other wicket-keepers (Kamran Akmal and Adam Gilchrist – 2) were faster than Dhoni's 93 ball century.[102]
- Under Dhoni's captaincy, India defeated Australia by 320 runs on 21 October 2008, biggest ever win in terms of runs for India.[103]
- Dhoni holds the record for most catches by an Indian player in an innings. He achieved this feat by taking six catches during the first innings of the third test against New Zealand in Wellington in April 2009.
- Dhoni also equalled Syed Kirmani's record for most dismissals in an innings by an Indian wicket-keeper. Syed Kirmani has effected 6 dismissals (5 catches and 1 stumping) against New Zealand in 1976. Dhoni now has equalled that record for most dismissals with 6 dismissals (all 6 catches) against New Zealand in 2009.
- Dhoni currently ranks third in the all-time dismissals list by Indian wicket-keepers. With the six dismissals in the first innings of the Test match against New Zealand in Auckland in April 2009, Dhoni has now been involved in 109 dismissals. The following is the list of top five Indian wicket-keepers, in terms of all-time dismissals in test matches: Syed Kirmani (198 dismissals), Kiran More (130 dismissals), Dhoni (109 dismissals), Nayan Mongia (107 dismissals) and Farokh Engineer (82 dismissals).
- Dhoni is now the second wicketkeeper to have effected 6 dismissals in an innings apart from a fifty in each innings of a Test match. Denis Lindsay had accomplished the feat for South Africa against Australia at Johannesburg in December 1966 — 69 & 182 and 6 catches + 2 catches.
- Under Dhoni's captaincy, India reached their highest test score of 726–9 (decl) during Sri Lanka's tour of India in 2009. Their 2–0 victory in the series took them to the number 1 ranking in Test cricket for the first time in history.
- Under Dhoni's captaincy, India did not lose a test match until the first test versus South Africa in Nagpur in February 2010. As a captain, he holds a record for longest unbeaten run in tests from his debut, 11 tests (8 wins and 3 draws). This record crossed former Australian captain Warwick Armstrong's run of 10 unbeaten tests (8 wins, 2 draws) from debut. In Dhoni's streak, however, there was a period of injury in which Virender Sehwag led the side (for 3 draws). So India's unbeaten streak was for 14 tests, of which 11 were Dhoni's.[citation needed]
- However Dhoni's unbeaten streak of 11 Test matches ended during India's tour of England in 2011 and England also replaced India from No. 1 spot in ICC Test team rankings.
- Dhoni shares with Nayan Mongia the record of most dismissals (8) by an Indian wicket-keeper in a Test match (as of February 2013).[104]
- Dhoni holds the record of most dismissals (8 – 7 catches and 1 stumping) by an Indian wicket-keeper in a Test match which includes at least one stumping (as of Feb 2013).
- Dhoni holds the world record for most stumpings (12) in test wins as a captain (as of February 2013)[105]
- Dhoni’s 224 is the highest score by an Indian captain in Tests bettering Sachin Tendulkar’s 217 against New Zealand at Ahmedabad in 1999.
- Dhoni has registered the highest Test score by an Indian wicketkeeper. On 193, he beat a long-standing record of 192 held by Budhi Kunderan against England in 1964, also scored in Chennai.
- Dhoni has registered the highest score in Test history by a wicketkeeper-captain beating Englishman Alec Stewart’s 164 Vs South Africa in 1998
- Dhoni is the first Indian wicket keeper to complete 4,000 Test runs.
- Dhoni is the first wicketkeeper to score a double century in a single day.[106]
- Dhoni is the most successful Indian Test captain with 22 Test victories, eclipsing Sourav Ganguly’s record of 21 victories from 49 Tests.[9]
Captaincy record
| Captaincy Record in Test Matches |
| Venue | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | Draw |
|---|
| At Home Venues | 2008–2013 | 28 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 6[107] |
| At Away Venues | 2009–2012 | 19 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 5[108] |
| TOTAL | 2008–2012 | 47 | 24 | 12 | 0 | 11[109] |
| Captaincy Record in One Day Internationals |
| Venue | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R |
|---|
| In India (At Home Venues) | 2007–2013 | 51 | 31 | 17 | 1 | 2[110] |
| At Away and Neutral Venues | 2008–2012 | 84 | 46 | 30 | 2 | 6[111] |
| TOTAL | 2007–2013 | 135 | 77 | 47 | 3 | 8[112] |
| Captaincy Record in Twenty20 Internationals |
| Venue | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R |
|---|
| In India (At Home Venues) | 2007–2011 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0[113] |
| At Away Venues | 2007–2012 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0[114] |
| At Neutral Venues | 2007–2010 | 19 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 1[115] |
| TOTAL | 2007–2012 | 41 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 1[116] |
Note – In the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, India played a Super 8 Match against West Indies. This match comes under the List of Matches played in Away Venues as the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 was being hosted in West Indies
Honorary Awards and Appreciations
- The Territorial Army conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel[118] to Dhoni on 1 November 2011. He is the second Indian cricketer after Kapil Dev to have received this honour.
Match ban
Due to slow-over rate, Dhoni being the captain of Indian cricket team has seldom faced with a restrictions to play in the matches. In December 2009, he was suspended for 2 ODI matches against
Sri Lanka when ICC match referee
Jeff Crowe had imposed this ban as India was three over beyond the specified duration. Hence
Virender Sehwag was named the skipper for the next two mathes help in Cuttak and Kolkatta.
[119] Further, in January 2012 he was banned for the 4th test match against
Australia in
Adelaide. Dhoni was two over short during the third test in
Perth.
[120] Consequently,
Virender Sehwag captained the
Adelaide test and
Wriddhiman Saha kept the wickets. In the CB Series, Dhoni again faced a one match ban for slow-over rate against Australia, for the second time in 2012.
Endorsements
Dhoni signed with Kolkata-based celebrity management company Gameplan Sports in April 2005.
[121][122] Currently Dhoni has 20 endorsements, only Shahrukh Khan has more (21).
[123] In 2007 Dhoni had 17 endorsements.
[124] In July 2010, Dhoni tied up with Rhiti Sports Management and Mindscapes and has been promised a minimum guarantee of Rs 210 crore over the next three years.
[125]
The following is the list of endorsements signed by Dhoni.
- 2005: Pepsico,[126][127] Reebok,[126][127] Exide,[127] TVS Motors.[128]
- 2006: Mysore Sandal Soap,[129] Videocon,[130] Reliance Communications,[131] Reliance Energy,[131] Orient PSPO Fan,[132] Bharat Petroleum,[133] Titan Sonata,[134] Brylcreem,[135] NDTV,[136] GE Money.[137]
- 2007: Siyaram.[138]
- 2008: Fashion at Big Bazaar alongside Bollywood actress Asin, Maha Choco, Boost (health food), Dainik Bhaskar[139]
- 2009: Dabur Honey, Kolkata Fashion Week.[140] Aircel communications, Nova Scottia Premium shirts.
- 2010: Amrapali[141]
