Virender Sehwag sends birthday wishes to MS Dhoni

From being a long-haired, spiteful youngster who took on the Pakistani bowlers in 2005, to helping the team seal a series win over the West Indies, MS Dhoni’s international career has seen a lot of ups and downs. Today, the most successful Indian captain celebrates his 36th birthday.

Wishes are pouring in from all over the world, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram. Unsurprisingly, #HappyBirthdayMSD is trending on Twitter since last night. Both former and present cricketers and innumerable fans are taking to social media platforms to wish Dhoni.

Earlier today, Virender Sehwag, the former Indian opener, took to Twitter to wish MSD on his birthday. He wrote: “To a man who has given Indian fans innumerable moments of joy #HappyBirthdayMSD May the helicopter continue to fly and land in our hearts.”

Indeed, Dhoni has given the fans a lot to cherish, especially with his towering sixes to finish off matches. His famous helicopter shot left the bowlers twirling around in disbelief, the fans in awe. He led India to two World Cup titles, helped them achieve the number one ranking in Test cricket and then when it was time, he stepped down as the captain. Dhoni’s contribution to Indian cricket has been immense.

The Dhoni-Sehwag rift

His relationship with Sehwag, however, was not always affable. In fact, there were reports of a rift between the two following Dhoni’s appointment as the captain. Incidentally, Sehwag was in line to be the captain but the BCCI turned towards the young wicketkeeper-batsman. Things worsened with every passing series, with Dhoni not keen to field a slow and inconsistent Sehwag.

All those things, though, are well in the past. Sehwag has retired from international cricket while Dhoni still wields the willow. Now, at the fag end of his career, MSD faces a similar situation to that of Sehwag’s with questions being raised about his abilities.