On this Day in 2007- MS Dhoni played his first match as captain

On this Day in 2007- MS Dhoni played his first match as captain: MS Dhoni will always be an important name etched in the pages of cricket history. With a flamboyant personality and carefree nature, ‘captain cool’ as the world calls him made his international debut in an ODI match against Bangladesh on 23^rd December, 2004. The small town boy was crowned the captain three years later for the ICC World T20 2007 and since then there was no looking back. Emerging from the cricketing backwaters, the mining state of Jharkhand, Dhoni made his debut as the captain with a bang on this day in 2007.

8 years ago, on 14 of September MS Dhoni played his first match as the captain of Indian team in the T20 World Championship 2007 against the arch rivals Pakistan that resulted in a win and later culminated in the World T20 Champions title, assuring the fans and the board that Indian team was in safe hands.

The best Indian captain by far:

The smashing right-handed wicket-keeper batsman made a crackling start as a leader and went on to be become possibly the best captain India has ever had. The niches he has brought to Indian Cricket from No.1 Test team to World Champions in 2011 and the World T20 winners 2007 are enough to show his skills as a captain. The unorthodox and out of the box thinking is what separates Dhoni from the other captains. Criticized and adored, loved and hated, MSD has surely made a mark becoming the best Indian captain till date.

Also Read – Top 10 Most successful captains in international Cricket

The bowl-out:

It was one of the most memorable India v Pakistan clashes. India put up a score of 141 for Pakistan to chase, and the last ball run out devoid Pakistan of the solitary run they needed to win the match.

The win though did not come easy for Dhoni. As thrilling as the India Pakistan matches are, this one held kept the fans anxious for a long time. Pakistan’s chase of 141, ended with a last ball run out that prevented from striking the winning runs and in return leading to the tie which followed the bowl-out.

The first three deliveries of the bowl out gave a clear winner, as Indian bowlers Sehwag, Harbhajan and Uthappa knocked the bails off whereas, the Pakistani pacers were unable to knock it off for even once. And that is how Dhoni proved his mettle as a Captain in the world of cricket for the first time. A smile curled upon MSD’s face, one that became characteristic for many years to come.

The Captain’s record:

Dhoni has had a glorious career as a captain, the man does not only keep the stumps for India but has given his team and the fans, trpohies and accomplishments to cherish forever. Making his debut on this day in 2007 the captain cool has led in 49 T20I clashes with 26 wins, most by any captain around the world. Later in 2007, MSD was also handed over the ODI captaincy and is still the leader of the Indian side in the limited-overs game. His ODI captaincy record reads 181 matches with 101 wins, which translates to a winning percentage of 60.58. Dhoni was the skipper in whites from 2008 till his retirement from Test cricket in 2014, he led India to 27 victories in a total of 60 matches.

Watch: India v Pakistan bowl-out session:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfDtOVVox_0