MS Dhoni

M.S. Dhoni or Mahendra Singh Dhoni or a Lieutenant colonel, Dhoni is a name of a legend and the only captain who won the ICC Trophy in all formats. He is the best 'finisher' in limited-overs formats and the fastest. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a former Indian Cricketer who came out of a small town in India and made people worldwide crazy.

But this introduction is not enough for this legend. Today, we see his struggling journey from a ticket collector to becoming an International Cricketer. Let's dive deep into the incredible journey of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Early Life and Family Background

Dhoni was raised in a Hindu Rajput family by parents from Uttarakhand and was born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand). He is the third child and youngest of Pan Singh and Devaki Devi. His parents relocated from Uttarakhand to Ranchi, Jharkhand, where his father took a job in the MECON Colony in the Doranda neighborhood of Ranchi as a pump operator in a junior management position. His uncle and relatives spell their last name "Dhauni" instead of "Dhoni," nevertheless.

Before becoming a cricket player, Dhoni played goalkeeper for the football team at his DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir school. However, after seeing his goalkeeping prowess, Dhoni's cricket coach Keshav Ranjan Banerjee chose him to play Cricket for his school team. He was the Commando Cricket Club's regular wicketkeeper from 1995 to 1998, thanks to his remarkable wicketkeeping abilities. He was chosen for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship in the 1997/98 season based on his club cricket performance, and he did well there.

In the West Bengali district of Midnapore (W), Dhoni worked as a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) for South Eastern train from 2001 to 2003 at the Kharagpur train station.

Education and a Football Lover.

Mahi did his schooling at DAV Jawahar Vidhya Mandir, Ranchi, Bihar. From childhood, he loved to play sports. He was excellent at football and Badminton.

From A Goalkeeper to Wicket- Keeper

In his school days, he didn't like Cricket that much. But he was a huge fan of the former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. From childhood, he was a love to play football. Mahi was the excellent goalkeeper of his school football team. At an early age, Mahi started playing football at Ranchi District Level.

Impressed with his excellent goalkeeping, a cricket club approached Mahi. They offered him to join their cricket team as a wicketkeeper. M.S. Dhoni joined the cricket team and fell in love with Cricket. Dhoni's coach was highly impressed with his Wicketkeeping skills, so he became a regular wicketkeeper at Commando Cricket Club. From there, his real journey in Cricket started.

Started to Fall in Love with Cricket

Dhoni played for three years in that club. Slowly, his interest had shifted towards batting. After continuous practice, Dhoni has become a good batsman. Not only in this club but in school and other clubs, he started getting popular for his mind-blowing sixes. In 1997-98, due to his excellent performance, Mahi was also selected for the Under 16 Championship.

At that time, Dhoni gives the railway exam, and fortunately, he got selected. In 2001, he was posted at Kharagpur Railway as a TTE (TravelingTicket Examiner) for the first time. Mahi did such a hectic job throughout the day, and he kept playing Cricket.

First Meeting with Sachin Tendulkar

During Dilip's Trophy for the first time, Dhoni met with the legend of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. Dhoni was part of Sachin's opponent team, where he played as a 12th player. He was serving drinks to the other players. During that match, Sachin also asked Mahi for water. Dhoni passed water with an innocent smile.

A Turning Point Decision

From 2001 to 2003, Dhoni worked as Ticket Examiner, living two lives. Dhoni was doing his job with full sincerity. But due to lack of time, his game was not improving at all.

And finally, he decided to quit his railway job and planned to give his complete focus, time, and dedication to Cricket. Dhoni's father was pretty disappointed with his decision.

The Breakthrough Moment

When he was not an international player, something happened. Dhoni met a girl named Priyanka. They started liking and falling in love with each other. And both were serious about their relationship.

During their affair, Dhoni was selected for the Indian team, and slowly people started liking him and his game. He had gone on a foreign tour for match series. When he came back to India, he got a piece of shocking news. A friend of Dhoni told him that Priyanka had a road accident in which she died. They were quite unbearable moments for Dhoni. Many people were thinking that maybe he will leave Cricket forever. But he bounces back even stronger.

Selection for India A

The selectors of BCCI search for talent from several small towns in India. The selectors came to Ranchi, where they saw Dhoni's game. They were pretty impressed by Dhoni's long sixes and selected Dhoni for the National Cricket Team. This was the very first door for M.S. Dhoni. They had gone for a series when Dhoni was playing for India A. Dhoni played his first series against Kenya. In the series, Dhoni made two centuries and one half-century for India.

MS Dhoni's International Debut

After seeing Dhoni's game, the captain Sourav Ganguly and the team selectors decided to select Dhoni for International Indian Cricket Team in 2004, and Dhoni made his international debut. Mahi was one of the players among 15 players in the team. Journey Began from 0. In 2004, in a series against Bangladesh, Dhoni was also selected among 11 team players, but he had not performed well. In his first international match, Dhoni was run out at 0.

Apart from that match, in the rest of the series, his performance was not too good.

An Extraordinary Bounce Back

After some time, the captain showed trust in Mahi and his amazing wicketkeeping skills and selected him for the series against Pakistan. Dinesh Kartik was also a good and strong competitor of Dhoni. While Dinesh was already on the team, questions about Dhoni's selection were also raised.

In the second match of the Pakistan Series, Sourav Ganguly wanted to give enough time to Dhoni, so he decided to send him to Number 3. Dhoni came to bat, and this time Dhoni came up with a different mindset.

Mahi started to shower fours and sixers. And In his fifth international encounter, he scored 148 runs in 123 balls. Against Pakistan, he demonstrated excellent batsmanship. This inning was the first International Century of Dhoni.

With his performance, Dhoni was made an irreplaceable place in the team and the heart of every Indian. He entered India's Test team a year later, swiftly establishing himself with a century against Pakistan.

Captain for World Cup Tour

Shortly before the World Cup in 2007, India was not doing well in international matches. India has faced many defeats, and captain Sourav Ganguly resigned from captaincy.

The team had to go to South Africa for T20 World Cup. When team officials asked Sachin about captaincy, he took the first name of Mahi. Team Management agreed with Sachin's opinion and selected Dhoni as the captain of the Indian Team for the World Cup Tour 2007.

T20 World Cup 2007

The team was performing excellently. The Indian team was looking solid and winning matches one after the other. India defeated Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan. The team was performing great under the leadership of M.S., and India reached the finals of the world cup. Although India set a very low score against Pakistan, the bowlers, fielders, and Dhoni's strategies could defend such a low score. India won by 5 runs and lifted the first T20 World Cup. Dhoni's performance in World Cup made him the ODI captain of team India. In 2008, India won the Commonwealth Series in Australia by defeating Australia.

Dhoni as Thala

Indian Premier League (IPL) also started in 2008, and Dhoni was the highest-page cricketer in the IPL auction. Dhoni has started playing for CSK (Chennai Super Kings).

Under Dhoni's leadership, Chennai Super Kings have won the IPL title 5 times. The team of Chennai Super Kings has played the final matches 10 times in the history of IPL, which is a record in itself. Dhoni is not M.S. Dhoni for Chennai Cricket Lovers; he will be the Thala forever.

ICC ODI World Cup 2011

In 2011, India was the host country for ODI World Cup. The confidence of the Indian team was high. And the world cup was going well. India won matches by defeating Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands, and West Indies.

India entered into quarter-finals against Australia. India won this match and beat Australia, the top team in the cricket world, reaching the semi-finals.

On March 30, 2011, India played semi-finals against Pakistan (a strong team then) in Mohali. India won the semi-finals by 29 runs and reached the Finals of the World Cup. As the team was winning the matches, all the Indians were beaten, and everyone expected that we would win the World Cup in our own home this year. India and Srilanka played finals on April 2, 2011, at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

Batting first, Sri Lanka had set a target of 274 runs for India. After the first two wickets fell, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir took charge of India's innings. Dhoni came to bat early and took charge of the team's innings. Dhoni played an unbeaten inning of 91 runs in 79 balls to give India victory before the entire 50 overs were played. India won the match by 6 wickets after 28 years. And India became the first country to win the ODI World Cup on its land.

As soon as India won the World Cup, the sky was filled with fireworks, crowds came on the streets, and every Indian was celebrating the victory. That night will always be unforgettable for every Indian.

Join Indian Territorial Army

Dhoni not only served our country as a Cricketer, but also he has an enduring association with the Armed Forces. M.S. Dhoni joined the Indian Territorial Army on November 1, 2011, after winning the world cup. He was also awarded the lieutenant colonel rank and joined his battalion in Jammu and Kashmir. Dhoni was the second cricket player after Kapil Dev, who earned such an honourable title.

MS Dhoni: Net Worth

According to sources, M.S. Dhoni's net worth is approximately 113 Million US$. According to the world-famous magazine Forbes, Dhoni was also one of the highest-earning sportsmen in 2012.

Also, not only in earnings, Dhoni was the highest taxpayer sportsman in India for the continuous three years 2012, 2013, and 2014. He had also invested in various sectors. He owned a hotel, Mahi Residency, in Ranchi.

His Married Life and Children

Dhoni met with a girl named Sakshi Singh Rawat in Kolkata. Dhoni first time met Sakshi during the match against Pakistan. But this is not the complete picture.

Dhoni and Sakshi were known each other since childhood. They studied in the same school. But after a few years, Sakshi and her family shifted to Dehradun, so they lost touch with each other.

But their destiny planned something else. After long years, they met again. They both started liking each other. Dhoni is an absolute family man. On July 4, 2010, this beautiful couple tied in a pure marriage knot. After five years of marriage, on February 6, 2015, Dhoni and Sakshi have blessed with a beautiful angel girl. Her name is Ziva.

MS Dhoni and Spot Fixing Controversies

From the beginning of the IPL, Dhoni was playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). During 2015, the entire CSK team and Dhoni's name were raised in IPL spot-fixing. According to the sources, Dhoni was in contact with Gurunath Meiyappan. Gurunath's name was on the betting charge sheet.

During the 2015 IPL spot-fixing, Dhoni's name emerged as he was in contact with Gurunath Meiyappan, named in the betting charge sheet. Due to the spot-fixing, CSK and R.R. (Rajasthan Royals) suffered two years suspensions to the IPL, but BCCI has allowed team players to play in other teams. In 2015 and 2016, Dhoni played for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). Dhoni was also the captain of team RPS.

Awards and Achievements

MS Dhoni is a legend and a youth icon. The list of his achievements is as long as the list of his struggles and failures. Here are some highlights of his achievements and awards as a captain of the Indian Cricket Team and as an individual are giving below:

• MTV Youth Icon of the Year: In 2006, Dhoni became a national icon and won the MTV Youth Icon Award.
• ICC T20 World Cup Trophy: In the captaincy of M.S. Dhoni, Team India lifted the T20 World Cup Trophy on September 24, 2007. This was the first time in Cricket history India won the T20 World Cup.
• Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: M.S. Dhoni received Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2007-2008. This award is the highest achievement for a sportsperson.
• ICC ODI Player of the Year: Dhoni received awards for the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
• Padma Shri: In 2009, Dhoni was honored by Padma Shri. It is the fourth-highest civilian award in India.
• ICC Cricket World Cup: April 2, 2011, is an unforgettable date for every Indian. MS Dhoni-led India, and after 28 years, India lift the world cup on our land, Wankhede Stadium, India.
• ICC Champions Trophy: Team India won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, led by Captain Mahi.
• Padma Bhushan: Dhoni was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2018. He received this honor, the third highest civilian award by President Shri Ram Nath Kovind.

These are just a few awards and many more records are recorded in the pages of cricket history in the name of MS Dhoni.

MS Dhoni's Story on Screen: Movies and Series

Bollywood has also made a movie based on the life of this legend, M.S. Dhoni. The movie's name was 'M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story.' The film was released in 2016.

This film depicted Dhoni's journey from childhood to the ICC world cup 2011. Sushant Singh Rajput portrayed the excellent role of Dhoni, for which he worked very hard. Also, there is a web series that is based on Dhoni's life and his entire journey in Chennai Super Kings in the IPL (Indian Premier League). The web series was titled 'Roar of the Lion' and released on March 20, 2019.

A Silent Retirement

Just as Dhoni had made a place in the hearts of the Indian team and Indians peacefully, he also announced his retirement calmly. During the pandemic, on August 15, 2020, the 74^th Independence Day of India, around 7 PM, MS Dhoni announced his retirement officially from International Cricket.

Unheard Facts About MS Dhoni

• Dhoni's career has taken an unexpected turning point before Cricket. For two years, he worked as a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur Railway Station.
• Dhoni didn't play in any renowned cricket academy. He was the result of Small-town Talent Spotting Events, an initiative by BCCI. In 2003, Mahi was directly selected for the national team.
• Mahi didn't much interested in cricket. He used to watch cricket only because of Sachin Tendulkar. Football and Badminton were his first calling.
• MS Dhoni was an excellent goalkeeper in his school football team.
• Mahi was the one and only player who won the ICC ODI Player of the Year Award twice, in the years 2008 and 2009.
• The SignatureShot wasn't invented by Dhoni. Dhoni learned this shot from his childhood friend and teammate, named Santosh Lal.
• The first meeting of Dhoni and Sakshi happened in Kolkata during a match against Pakistan.
• M.S. Dhoni was the only captain in the world who won (International Cricket Council) Trophy in all formats.
• Suresh Raina is the best friend of M.S. Dhoni. Their brotherhood bond is very old. After the announcement of Dhoni's retirement, Suresh Raina also took retirement from International Cricket.

A Forever Legend

With his excellent decision-making skills, calm handling of high-pressure matches on the field, fastest wicketkeeping skills, great finisher, being great soldier, and responsible citizen, Dhoni served his country.

Dhoni was not just a player, he played like a hope for every Indian. Every Indian believed that as long as Dhoni is at the crease, India can win matches even under conditions.

Conclusion

The cricketing legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni, also known as M.S. Dhoni, has made a lasting impression on the sport. He rose to fame as the former captain of the Indian cricket team, leading India to several victories and achievements. Dhoni was called "Captain Cool" because of his calm and collected demeanor. He was also revered for his leadership and tactical acumen on the field.

In limited-overs formats, where he revolutionized the roles of a finisher and a wicketkeeper-batsman, his contributions to Indian Cricket are enormous. Dhoni was a unique addition to the team because of his lightning-quick reflexes behind the stumps and his capacity for composure under duress.

Beyond his talent as a cricketer, Dhoni's humble beginnings and ascent to fame struck a chord with fans, turning him into a well-liked and sympathetic figure all around the country. He won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2010 and 2016 Asia Cups, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy while captaining India.

He announced his retirement from international Cricket in 2020 after an incredible career that had millions in awe. Dhoni continues to impact Cricket even after he retired significantly, and his influence on aspiring players is still felt today. M.S. Dhoni's life narrative will be honored and treasured as a role model and cricketing star for centuries.