#ThankYouMahi: Unknown facts about Indian legend MS Dhoni
Indian legend MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday. One of the most astute leaders, Dhoni made his presence felt for fifteen glorious years, with his 'out of the box' thinking. His unscathed legacy will continue to inspire generations to come, as has been the case thus far. In this article, we present the unknown facts about MS Dhoni.
Dhoni's credentials in domestic cricket
Dhoni made his First-class and List A debut in 1999/2000 against Assam at Jamshedpur. His debut First-class dismissal as a wicket-keeper was Parag Das, who was stumped by Dhoni. Nineteen years later, Dhoni took a catch of his son Riyan Parag in an IPL fixture at Jaipur. Overall, Dhoni has 7,038 and 13,353 runs to his name in First-class and List A games respectively.
Dhoni played for Central Coal Limited during his early days
Dhoni was initially picked in the Bihar Under-19 team for Cooch Behar Trophy 1998/99. In the tournament, Dhoni scored 185 runs from five matches at 37 including a fifty. Before Dhoni played for Bihar, he represented Central Coal Limited. He scored a double hundred in a school match wherein he shared a 378-run (unbeaten) stand with his batting partner Shabir Hussain.
Monthly stipend of Rs. 2,000
Dhoni was selected in Central Coal Limited under the sports quota. For playing matches, the former Indian captain used to fetch a monthly stipend of Rs. 2,000 including an extra Rs. 200 if he emerged as the match-winning player.
How Dhoni earned his maiden India call-up
India's World Cup-winning captain had to fight for his spot before making his international debut. Dhoni's consistent performances earned him a place in the India A team for the 2003/04 tour of Kenya and Zimbabwe. He was a part of the squad which participated in the Hong Kong Super Sixes (2004). Shortly after, he was named in the squad for the Bangladesh ODI series.
Turning point for Dhoni
Dhoni was first spotted by the Talent Resource Development Wing, an initiative by the BCCI to fast-tack talent in India. Hence, former Bengal skipper sent his report about Dhoni to the National Cricket Academy. This proved to be a turning point for Dhoni.
How did Dhoni develop the helicopter shot?
Dhoni's uncanny helicopter shot still brings the world to its feet. Before stamping his authority in domestic cricket, Dhoni used to play tennis-ball cricket for Durga Sporting. He learned his famous 'helicopter shot' (also called 'thappad' shot) from his childhood friend Santosh Lal during that time. Notably, Dhoni admired the aggressive batting style of Santosh, who unfortunately succumbed to pancreatitis and died in 2013.
