On This Day in 1981: MS Dhoni was born

July 7 marks the birth of the cricketing icon, MS Dhoni. Born in Ranchi, the legendary Indian skipper was more focused on playing football but his cricket coach in school identified his potential as a wicketkeeper and asked him to join the team. That arguably changed Dhoni’s life and the fate of Indian cricket.

His rise to fame was nothing short of meteoric. Despite doing well in the domestic circuit, the now 43-year-old was not considered for selection in the senior men’s team for a long time. In 2004, former captain Sourav Ganguly decided to give him his first break and handed him an opportunity in the series against Bangladesh. While Dhoni struggled in the initial games, the famous knock of 148 runs against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam changed things overnight.

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Dhoni soon became a cult figure in Indian cricket. Apart from his batting, his fashion sense too became the talk of the town. His long hair grabbed the attention of the cricket fans in India as many followed the same style. Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar touted him as the next India captain and the cricketer lived up to his expectations.

Under his leadership, the Men in Blue lifted the cup in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 and also won the CB Series in 2008 in Australia. India, that didn’t win the ODI World Cup in many years was suddenly dreaming of getting the job done in 2011 at home. Dhoni didn’t fail. There was immense pressure but the cricketer managed to stay calm and got the job done with a Player of the Match innings on the night of the finals in Mumbai.

Dhoni has also contributed immensely in red-ball cricket while his numbers in IPL are phenomenal too, making him one of the greatest all-format cricketers. Meanwhile, Dhoni is still serving as Para Paratrooper in the Indian Territorial Army. He loves farming and any cricketer who has spent time with him, always remarked him as the best captain and one of the biggest pranksters.