The Untold Story of MS Dhoni: From Ticket Collector to Captain Cool

 

Introduction to Ms Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is better known as MS Dhoni and often referred to as Captain Cool, is a former Indian cricketer. He was born on 7th July 1981 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. His family moved to Delhi when he was young and he grew up there before moving back to Ranchi where he started playing cricket at a local level while still in school.
His breakthrough moment came when he captained India's Under-19 team during the 2002 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup where they won the tournament by beating Australia by one run in the final at Colombo (Sri Lanka). This victory made him famous overnight and led him into the senior national side within two years of his first-class debut against Orissa at Cuttack in November 2004.

Ms Dhoni's Rise to Stardom

Dhoni's rise to stardom is a result of his leadership and captaincy skills. He led the Indian cricket team in more than 100 international matches, including three ICC World Cups (2007, 2011 and 2015), two ICC Champions Trophies (2008 and 2014) and two Twenty20 World Cups (2010 and 2012).
Dhoni also achieved success as a batsman; he was part of India's top order during their 2007 Cricket World Cup victory over Sri Lanka at St George's Park in South Africa. He scored 180 runs in seven innings during the tournament at an average of 37 runs per innings. In 2011, Dhoni led India to victory against Sri Lanka in Colombo by scoring 90 runs off just 52 balls; this was followed by another win against Pakistan where he scored 92 runs off just 54 deliveries before getting out on 89*.
In 2013-14 season Dhoni became only fourth player ever after Ricky Ponting (Australia), Jacques Kallis (South Africa) & Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) who had played 100 Tests before turning 30 years old. *

Ms Dhoni's Legacy

MS Dhoni's legacy is one of the most important in Indian cricket. He led the team with a quiet confidence, and his leadership style has been emulated by many cricketers since then.
He was also instrumental in uniting people across India through his popularity and influence. His achievements on the field were complemented by his humility off it - he never took credit for himself but always gave credit to others around him who helped him achieve success at all levels of cricketing career.

Ms Dhoni's Records and Stats

In his career, Dhoni has played for India in 311 ODIs and scored 5,876 runs at an average of 51.23 with 22 centuries and 67 fifties. In T20Is, he has scored 1,719 runs at an average of 32.66 with one century and 17 fifties. He has taken 259 catches in his ODI career which is second highest by any wicketkeeper-batsman in world cricket after Adam Gilchrist's 281 dismissals.
In his Test career spanning 90 matches (57 Tests), Dhoni scored 5643 runs at an average of 41 with 11 centuries and 31 half-centuries; he took 166 catches behind the stumps which is third most by any wicketkeeper/batsman after Mark Boucher (197) & Adam Gilchrist (168).

Ms Dhoni's Endorsements

• He has been endorsed by many brands, including Reebok, Pepsi and Samsung.
• Endorsements have helped Dhoni's career by providing him with extra income and exposure to the public.
• It is expected that he will continue to receive endorsements in 2020 as well as beyond that date

Ms Dhoni's Retirement

MS Dhoni's retirement from international cricket has been a big blow to the world of sport. The former Indian captain announced his decision to step down from the game after leading India to victory in the ICC World Cup 2019, which was held in England and Wales. He played his last game for India on March 26, 2019, against New Zealand at Old Trafford in Manchester.
During his 14 years as an international player, MS Dhoni won many awards including ICC ODI Player of the Year (2008), ICC Test Player of the Year (2009), BCCI Award for Best International Cricketer (2008-09) and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2008). His contribution towards winning matches and tournaments cannot be overlooked as he always led by example on field by scoring runs or taking wickets himself while also providing valuable inputs off field during team meetings with coaches or selectors before big matches like World Cups etc.

Ms Dhoni's Life After Retirement

After retirement, Dhoni has been involved in various business ventures. He is the co-owner of a sports management company named Rhiti Sports Management Private Limited and has also invested in real estate projects such as a luxury hotel in Ranchi and an IT park in Chennai.
He has also been involved with philanthropic activities through his foundation MSD Foundation which was established in 2015. It aims at supporting underprivileged children by providing education and healthcare facilities among other things. The foundation has helped build schools across India as well as provided scholarships for students who cannot afford higher education costs such as tuition fees or accommodation costs while studying abroad at universities like Oxford University (UK).

Ms Dhoni's Impact on the Future of Cricket

Apart from his achievements as a cricketer, MS Dhoni has had a huge impact on the future of cricket. His leadership skills and calm demeanor have inspired many young cricketers who look up to him for inspiration. The way he led India to victory in 2011 World Cup was phenomenal and left everyone speechless!
This is not just limited to Indian cricket but also extends across international borders where many players have been inspired by his style of play or attitude towards life in general. His influence can be seen among upcoming players such as Virat Kohli who idolizes him greatly; this is evident from how much time he spends with Dhoni during practice sessions or games which shows how much respect Kohli has for his captain (and vice versa).
Another example would be AB de Villiers who said recently that "If I could choose any batsman from any era, it would be MSD." He further added that "He's got everything covered - batting technique, fielding skills...he's just an amazing player."

Conclusion

Dhoni has been a part of the Indian cricket team since 2004. He has played in 398 international matches and scored over 9700 runs at an average of 45.95 with 32 centuries. Dhoni has also won several awards including being named ICC ODI Player of the Year twice (2008, 2009), ICC World Cup Champion in 2011, Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World (2010), Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (2007-2008) and Padma Shri (2009).
Dhoni's retirement from Test cricket means that he will only play limited overs formats for India going forward. However, there is no doubt that his legacy will remain strong for many years to come!

References

The sources for this article include:

• "Dhoni's career in numbers" by Rohit Brajnath, ESPNcricinfo (October 4, 2016)
• "MS Dhoni - The man who changed Indian cricket forever" by Sidhanta Patnaik, Firstpost (November 22, 2016)