#13YearsofDhoni: Why is MS Dhoni so crucial for Team India?
13-years ago, on this day a 24-year-old Dhoni with long hair walked out onto the pitch in Indian colours for the first time. Since then, there has been no looking back for MSD. An instant fan favourite Dhoni went on to be India's most successful captain across all formats and still continues to be a key member of the squad. What makes Dhoni special?
The forgettable ODI debut
India, who were in need of a wicketkeeper, decided to give Dhoni a shot during the tour of Bangladesh. Dhoni had a forgetful tour with him dismissed for a duck on his debut because of a run out. Despite a poor series Dhoni was called for the ODI series against Pakistan which signalled the beginning of the MS Dhoni's era.
The beginning of the MS Dhoni era
Long haired and fearless, with a swagger like no other, Mahendra Singh Dhoni pummelled Pakistan scoring a 148 in Visakhapatnam off only 123 deliveries in his 5th ODI, the highest by an Indian wicketkeeper. He improved his own record that year with an unbeaten 183 against Sri Lanka, the highest by any wicketkeeper, a record that stands till date.
Captaincy brought the best out of Dhoni
Dhoni was handed the captaincy in 2007 which turned out to be a masterstroke. He led India to their first ever bilateral series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. India became a force to reckon with under Dhoni and the trophies started rolling in, starting with the ICC World T20, CB Series of 2007-08 and the 2010 Asia Cup.
The World Cup final heroics
The most iconic memory of Dhoni, Indian fans hold dear would be the helicopter six he used to win India the second ICC World Cup. Dhoni scored 91* off 79 balls for which he was awarded the "Man of the Match". India won the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and Dhoni became the first captain to win all three ICC limited overs trophies.
Homemade batting and wicket keeping technique
Dhoni is regarded as one of the greatest finishers in limited overs cricket. He is also one of the best wicket-keepers, the sport has seen. His quick hands has helped him set the record for the most stumpings. Dhoni has an unorthodox style of batting and wicket-keeping. He may not be the most elegant to watch, but he can surely unleash those big sixes.
A cool customer
Dhoni has a calm and composed demeanour on the field which has helped him a lot with his captaincy. His unorthodox methods helped India taking India to the pinnacle of Test rankings in 2009, a spot they held for 18 long months. Under his captaincy, India became the first team to whitewash Australia in a series in over 40 years.
Age is just a number for Dhoni
Dhoni stepped down as the Test captain in December 2014. He gave up the limited-overs captaincy in January 2017. He might be 36-years-old, but is confident of representing India in 2019 Cricket World Cup. Those big sixes against Sri Lanka and the quick running between the wickets are a testimony to say this old horse has a lot of kick left in him.
