Born in Ranchi, Dhoni made his first class debut for Bihar in 1999. He made his debut for the Indian cricket team on 23 December 2004 in an ODI against Bangladesh and played his first test a year later against Sri Lanka. In 2007, he became the captain of the ODI side before taking over in all formats by 2008. Dhoni retired from test cricket in 2014, but continued playing in limited overs cricket till 2019. He has scored 17,266 runs in international cricket including 10,000 plus runs at an average of more than 50 in ODIs.
Dhoni was born on 7 July 1981 in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand) in a HinduRajput family to Pan Singh and Devaki Devi.
[4] His parents hailed from Lwali village in Uttar Pradesh (now Uttarakhand) and he was the youngest of three children.[5][6][7] His family spells the surname as "Dhauni".[8]
He played as a wicket-keeper for Commando cricket club from 1995 to 1998 and Central Coal Fields Limited (CCL) team in 1998.[13] At CCL, he batted higher up the order and helped the team qualify to the higher division.[14] Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season of Vinoo Mankad Trophy under-16 championship.[15][16] In the 1998–99, Dhoni played for Bihar U-19 team in the Cooch Behar Trophy and scored 176 runs in 5 matches. In the 1999–2000 Cooch Behar Trophy, the Bihar U-19 cricket team made it to the finals, where Dhoni made 84 in a losing cause.[17] Dhoni's contribution in the tournament included 488 runs in nine matches with five fifties, 17 catches and seven stumpings.[18] Dhoni made it to the East Zone U-19 squad for the C. K. Nayudu Trophy in the 1999–2000 season and scored only 97 runs in four matches, as East Zone lost all the matches and finished last in the tournament.[19][20]
Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar against Assam in the 1999–2000 season, as an eighteen-year-old scoring 68 runs in the second innings.[21] Dhoni finished the season with 283 runs in 5 matches. Dhoni scored his maiden first-class century while playing for Bihar against Bengal in the 2000–01 Ranji Trophy season.[22] Apart from this century, his performance in the 2000/01 season did not include another score over fifty and in the 2001–02 Ranji Trophy season, he scored just five fifties in four Ranji matches.[23][24] Dhoni's played for Jharkhand in the 2002–03 Ranji Trophy and represented East Zone in the Deodhar Trophy where he started gaining recognition for his lower-order contribution as well as hard-hitting batting style. In the 2003/04 season, Dhoni scored a century (128*) against Assam in the first match of the Ranji ODI tournament and was part of the East Zone squad that won the Deodhar Trophy 2003–2004 season scoring 244 runs in four matches.[25][26]
In the Duleep Trophy finals, Dhoni represented East zone and scored a fighting half-century in the second innings in a losing cause.[27] Dhoni was identified as one of the emerging talents via the BCCI's small-town talent-spotting initiative TRDW.[28][29] In 2004, Dhoni was picked for the India A squad for a tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya.[30] Against the Zimbabwe XI in Harare Sports Club, Dhoni effected seven catches and four stumpings.[31] In the tri-nation tournament involving Kenya, India A and Pakistan A, Dhoni helped India A chase down their target of 223 against Pakistan A with a half-century and scored scored 362 runs in six innings at an average of 72.40 with back to back centuries.[32][33][34]
International career
Debut and early years
The Indian ODI team in the early 2000s saw Rahul Dravid as the wicket-keeper to ensure that the wicket-keeper spot didn't lack in batting talent and also tried other wicket-keeper/batsmen like Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik.[35] With Dhoni performing well for the India A squad, he was picked in the ODI squad for the Bangladesh tour in December 2004.[36] Dhoni made his debut in the first match of the series and was run out for a duck.[37] Dhoni was picked for the subsequent ODI series against Pakistan.[38] In the second match of the series in Visakhapatnam, Dhoni playing in his fifth one-day international, scored 148 runs off 123 deliveries which surpassed the earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper.[39] Dhoni played in the Sri Lankan bilateral ODI series in October–November 2005 and was promoted to No. 3 in the batting order in the third ODI at Jaipur where he scored an unbeaten 183 runs off 145 balls, winning the game for India.[40] The innings would surpass his earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicket-keeper and was described in Wisden Almanack as 'Uninhibited, yet anything but crude'.[41] It was also the highest individual score in ODI cricket in a run chase, a record which was broken seven years later by Shane Watson.[42][43] Dhoni ended the series with the highest aggregate of 346 runs and was awarded the Man of the series.[44]
Dhoni became a regular in the Indian side after the home series against South Africa in November 2005.[45] In December 2005, Dhoni was awarded a "B" grade contract by the BCCI.[46] Dhoni made his test debut in the same month against Sri Lanka during their tour of India at Chennai.[47][48] Dhoni scored 30 runs in his debut match, that was marred by rain and ended in a draw.[49] Dhoni made his maiden half-century in the second test leading to an Indian win.[50] Dhoni played all the matches in the subsequent tour of Pakistan scoring 219 runs in five ODI matches and 179 runs in five tests including his maiden test century in the second test in Faisalabad.[51] He scored 106 runs across three tests in the home series against England in March 2006 and 177 runs in five ODI series that followed.[51][45] Dhoni dropped multiple catches and missed dismissal chances including a key stumping opportunity of Andrew Flintoff which led to criticism of his wicket-keeping.[52]
In the DLF Cup 2006-07, Dhoni scored 43 runs as the team lost twice in three games and did not qualify for the finals. In the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, India lost to West Indies and Australia, though Dhoni scored a half-century against West Indies and failed to make it to the knock out stage.[53] In the ODI series in South Africa in November 2006, Dhoni scored 139 runs in four matches in the series loss.[45] In the test series that followed, Dhoni scored 114 runs in two tests including a first test victory in South Africa in the first test, but was ruled out of the third test with injury.[54] Dhoni made his T20 international debut in December 2006 against South Africa at Johannesburg.[55] Dhoni was subsequently named in the ODI team of the year by the ICC for 2006.[56]
2007 World T20 and captaincy
India recorded identical 3–1 victories over West Indies and Sri Lanka in early 2007 with Dhoni averaging in excess of 100 in both the series. Subsequently, Dhoni was part of the squad for 2007 Cricket World Cup in which India unexpectedly crashed out in the group stage after losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka with Dhoni scoring ducks in both these matches and just 29 runs in the tournament.[45][57] As a result, Dhoni's house in Ranchi was vandalized and damaged by activists of JMM and security was tightened for his family.[58] Dhoni scored 91* against Bangladesh in the first match of the ODI series in May 2007 which fetched the Man of the Match award while also later winning the Man of the Series after the third game of the series was washed away.[59] Dhoni played for ACC Asia XI cricket team in the Afro-Asia Cup, scoring 174 runs in three matches at an average of 87 including 139 off 97 balls in the third ODI.[60]
Dhoni was named vice-captain of the ODI team for the 2007 Future Cup against South Africa in Ireland and the subsequent seven-match series against England.[61] Dhoni was awarded an 'A' grade contract by BCCI in June 2007.[62] Dhoni was appointed as the captain of the Indian squad for the inaugural World Twenty20 in September 2007.[63] Dhoni led India to victory in the tournament after defeating Pakistan in the final.[64][65] Dhoni was appointed as the captain of Indian cricket team in all formats later.[66]
On 2 September 2007, Dhoni equaled Adam Gilchrist's international record for the most dismissals in an innings in ODI by effecting six dismissals against England.[67] Dhoni took his first and only wicket in international cricket on 30 September 2009 when he bowled Travis Dowlin of West Indies in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.[68] However, he scored just three runs in the only match he batted with India crashing out of the series in the group stage after the match against Australia was washed out.[69] Dhoni averaged more than 60 in the 2008-09 season.[70] Dhoni scored two centuries during Sri Lanka's tour of India in November 2009 which India won to achieve the top ranking in ICC test ranking for the first time in its history.[71] Dhoni had an excellent year in ODIs in 2009, scoring 1198 runs in just 24 innings, at an average of 70.43 and topped the ICC ODI batsman rankings for several months.[72] He was named as captain and wicket-keeper of the ICC ODI Team of the year.[73]
Dhoni led the Indian squad for the 2011 Cricket World Cup co-hosted by India.[74] India won its second ever ODI world cup after defeating Sri Lanka in the final with Dhoni being named man of the match for scoring an unbeaten 91.[75] In December 2012, Pakistan toured India for a bilateral series for the first time in five years and Dhoni top-scored in all the three matches of the series with a century in the first ODI at Chennai.[76] Dhoni led India to victory in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and became the first and the only captain in international cricket to claim all ICC limited overs trophies. In the rain-shortened final against England, India won by five runs on DLS method though Dhoni himself was out for a duck.[77] He was also named as captain and wicket-keeper of the 'Team of the Tournament' by the ICC.[78]
After the Champions Trophy, India toured West Indies for a tri-nation tournament against the hosts and Sri Lanka.[79] Dhoni got injured at the start of the tournament thus ruling him out for most of the tournament and returned to play the final where he was adjudged Man of the match for scoring 45 runs off 52 balls including 16 runs in the final cricket to take India to victory by one wicket.[80] In November 2013, Dhoni became the second India batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to aggregate more than thousand runs in ODIs against Australia.[81] India toured South Africa and New Zealand in the 2013–14 season. Though Dhoni scored 84 runs at an average of 48 including one half-century against South Africa and 272 runs with three consecutive 50-plus scores against New Zealand, India lost both the series.[45] Dhoni himself reached 8000 runs in ODI in the series against New Zealand.[82] Dhoni led India in the 2014 ICC World Twenty20 where India finished as runners-up after losing to Sri Lanka in the final.[83] He was named as captain and wicket-keeper of the 'Team of the Tournament' by the ICC.[84]
India won the away ODI series in England in 2014 and series against West Indies in India where Dhoni scored 146 runs across the five innings he batted.[85][45]
Test retirement and 2015 World cup
Dhoni played his last series during India's tour of Australia in December 2014. Following the third Test in Melbourne, Dhoni announced his retirement from the format.[86] In his last test, he effected nine dismissals (eight catches and a stumping), and in the process, went past Kumar Sangakkara's record for most stumpings in international cricket and also set a record for effecting the most dismissals in a match by an Indian wicketkeeper until it was broken by Wriddhiman Saha in 2018.[87][88] In the Carlton Mid triangular series in Australia, India failed to win a single match with Dhoni himself managing just 70 runs from three innings at an average of 23.34.[89]
During the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Dhoni became the first Indian captain to win all group stage matches in a world cup.[90] In the match against Zimbabwe at Auckland, he made 85 which was the highest score by an Indian captain in New Zealand. After beating Bangladesh in the quarter finals, he became the third overall and the first non-Australian captain to win 100 ODI matches.[91] India lost to eventual champions Australia in the semi-finals with Dhoni having a good series, scoring 237 runs in six innings at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 102.15 and thus, became only the second Indian captain to have an average over 50 and strike rate over 100 in a particular season of the World Cup.[92][93]
Final years and retirement
Dhoni led India to victory in the 2016 Asia Cup where India remained unbeaten.[94] Dhoni stepped down as captain of India in January 2017 ahead of the ODI series at home against England.[95] In the second game of the series, he scored 134 off 122 balls, his tenth century in ODIs and his first in over three years.[96] He was named as a wicket-keeper of the 'Team of the Tournament' at the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy in which India finished as runners-up.[97][98] In August 2017, during the fifth and final ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo, he became the first wicket-keeper to effect 100 stumpings in ODIs when he stumped Akila Dananjaya off Yuzvendra Chahal.[99] He reached the milestone of effecting 400 dismissals in ODIs in February 2018, following the stumping of Aiden Markram in the third ODI of the South Africa tour.[100]
Though he had a relatively mediocre series scoring 79 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 63.20 during India's 2018 tour of England, he went past 10,000 ODI runs, becoming the fourth Indian and twelfth overall to do so.[101][102][103] In the 2018 Asia Cup title winning campaign, he scored just 77 runs in four innings at an average of 19.25.[104][105] While captaining in the group stage match against Afghanistan due to regular captain Rohit Sharma being unavailable, Dhoni became the first cricketer to lead India 200 times in ODIs.[106] Dhoni aggregated 50 runs from three innings in the home series against West Indies.[107][108] Dhoni was not selected for the T20I squad for the series that followed and the Australia tour later that season.[109] However, he was included in the squad for the ODI series in Australia.[110] In the three-match series, Dhoni scored half-centuries in all three games with the latter two resulting in wins, helping India secure a 2–1 series victory, their first in a bilateral series on Australian soil and was named player of the series while also becoming the fourth Indian to score more than 1,000 ODI runs in Australia.[111] In April 2019, he was named in India's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup.[112][113] On 9 July 2019, Dhoni played in his 350th and final ODI in the semi-final loss against New Zealand.[114] Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on 15 August 2020 as he had not played any international cricket since India's loss in the 2019 world cup semi-final.[115]
Domestic career
Dhoni played for Bihar state cricket team since 1999 before representing Jharkhand later. He has also played for Rajasthan Cricket Association President's XI, East zone and Rest of India in domestic cricket.[116] In BCCI Corporate trophy, he played for Air India until his resignation from the company in 2013.[117] In February 2005, Dhoni played for India seniors in Challenger trophy, where he scored 102 against India B.[118]Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) appointed him captain of the Jharkhand team in February 2017 for the 2017-18 Vijay Hazare trophy and on 25 February 2017, he scored his first ever domestic list-A century against Chhattisgarh and led the team to the quarter final where Jharkhand lost against Delhi.[119][120]
Dhoni was acquired by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for US$1.5 million during the auction for the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was the most expensive signing in the auction.[121] Dhoni scored 414 runs to lead CSK to the finals in the first season of IPL.[122] Under his captaincy, CSK won the 2010 edition and qualified for Champions League Twenty20.[123] Chennai won the 2010 Champions league.[124] Dhoni scored 392 runs and led CSK to its second consecutive IPL title in 2011.[125] Dhoni led CSK to its second Champions League Twenty20 title in 2014.[126] Dhoni scored 2987 runs from 129 matches in the IPL across the first eight seasons for the Super Kings.[122]
Following the two-year suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two new franchises Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions were established for the 2016 Indian Premier League season. Supergiants picked Dhoni as one of their five draft picks on 15 December 2015 for ₹125 million (US$1.6 million).[127] He scored 574 runs in 30 matches across two seasons for the Supergiants.[122]
Dhoni returned to CSK for the 2018 season.[128] He scored 455 runs and led his team to its third IPL title.[129] Dhoni led CSK to the title again in 2021 and was retained for ₹12 crore (US$1.5 million) before the auction for the 2022 season.[130] Dhoni stepped down from captaincy ahead of that season and Ravindra Jadeja was appointed the new captain.[131][132] However, a month later, Jadeja handed over the captaincy back to Dhoni in the middle of the season.[133] Dhoni led the franchise to victory again the the following season.[125] Under his captaincy, CSK became the most successful IPL franchise with five title wins and ten final appearances.[134] Dhoni became the first player to play 200 T20 matches for CSK and holds the record for most appearances in the IPL.[135] Ahead of the 2024 season, Dhoni handed over captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad.[136] He marked his 250th appearance for CSK in this season, in a league stage match against Mumbai Indians on 14 April 2024, helping his team secure a 20-run win, following his unbeaten four-ball 20.[137]
Outside cricket
Chief of Army Staff, Gen. V.K. Singh bestowing the rank of Hon. Lt. Col. to Dhoni
Dhoni holds an honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Territorial Army (106 Para TA battalion).[138] The honorary rank was presented to him by the Indian Army in 2011 for his service to the nation as a cricketer.[3] After completing five parachute training jumps from Indian Army aircraft in the Agra training camp, he became a qualified paratrooper in 2015.[139] In August 2019, he completed a two-week stint with the Territorial Army in Jammu and Kashmir.[140] While spending a day with the parachute regiment in Ranchi, Dhoni said, I wanted to become a soldier not a cricketer, "Since childhood I wanted to join the Army. Seeing the soldiers, I thought that one day I'll be the same".[141]
Dhoni holds the post of vice-president in India Cements Ltd, the company owned by former BCCI president N. Srinivasan.[142][143] Dhoni is a co-owner of Chennai-based football club Chennaiyin FC, a franchise of the Indian Super League.[144] He also co-owns Ranchi-based hockey club Ranchi Rays, a franchise of the Hockey India League.[145] In February 2016, Dhoni launched lifestyle brand SEVEN which he co-owns while also serving as its brand ambassador.[146] In 2019, Dhoni invested in vehicle re-seller CARS24 and simultaneously became brand ambassador of the company.[147] On 11 October 2022, Dhoni invested in Shaka Harry, a plant-based protein company.[148][149]
No.7 jersey made popular by Dhoni
In 2019, Dhoni Entertainment entered into a long-term business agreement with Banijay Asia to produce content across various genres.[150] The first show developed by the company was a documentary web series titled Roar of The Lion for Disney+ Hotstar in 2019 which dealt with the ban of Chennai Super Kings from the Indian Premier League in 2016 and their return to win the title in 2018.[151] The production house produced a Tamil language romantic drama LGM which was released on 28 July 2023.[152][153][154]
Dhoni is one of the most popular cricketers in the world.[155] He serves as a brand ambassdor and endorses more than 35 brands across various segments.[156] As of 2022[update], Dhoni has more than 75 million followers on social media platforms and his brand value was projected to be $80.3 million by Duff and Phelps.[157] Dhoni's popularity is often compared to Sachin Tendulkar, the highest run scorer in international cricket.[158][159] The No.7 jersey has been made popular by Dhoni which was retired in 2023 by BCCI.[160] Dhoni has developed a special connection with the city of Chennai whose IPL franchise he represents with fans calling him 'Thala' meaning leader in Tamil.[161][162]
Playing style
Dhoni in 2008
Dhoni is a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper.[116] Dhoni is an unorthodox batsman who deviates from conventional coaching manuals to showcase his batting technique.[163] Dhoni displays a proclivity for hitting full-length deliveries towards the Long-on, Long-off, and Midwicket regions, rather than the conventional Cover region.[163] He plays pull shots and hook shots off short-pitched deliveries often putting pressure on the bowler to adjust their line and length accordingly. Dhoni holds the bat with a firm grip at the bottom of the handle, striking the ball with force and precision to clear the boundary.[164] He is a powerful hitter of the ball and is one of the fastest men in running between the wickets.[165] He plays the helicopter shot technique, taught to him by a fellow player and childhood friend Santosh Lal.[166][167][168] As a batsman, he is recognized for his finishing skills in high-pressure situations.[169]
As a wicket-keeper, he has been praised for his fast reflexes behind the stumps while also being criticized for the lack of good technique.[170][171] He is known for his unorthodox captaincy, approachability and has earned a reputation of being a successful leader.[172][173] Dhoni is also known for his cool-headed demeanor on the field which has earned him the monicker "Captain cool".[174]
Personal life
Dhoni married Sakshi Singh Rawat on 4 July 2010 in Dehradun.[175][176] Dhoni and his wife have a daughter who was born on 6 February 2015.[177][178] He lives in his farmhouse outside Ranchi.[179] Dhoni owns a number of bikes and cars in his collection.[180]
Career statistics
Dhoni has scored 4876 runs in Test matches at an average of 38 and 10773 runs at an average of above 50 in ODIs. He has scored 16 centuries and 106 fifties in his international career.[116] Dhoni has one of the highest averages in ODI cricket.[181] Dhoni has scored more than 3200 runs across 377 T20 matches.[116] Dhoni has taken 634 catches and effected 195 stumpings in his international career making him one of the most prolific wicket-keepers of all time.[182]
In 2007, Dhoni was appointed captain of the captain of the Indian team and served as the captain of all formats from 2008. He captained the Indian team in 332 matches including 200 ODIs and was one of the most prolific and successful captains of all time.[185][186][187]
The Dhoni Touch: unraveling the enigma that is Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a book by Bharat Sundaresan.[246]
Dhoni (2012), a Tamil feature film, directed and produced by Prakash Raj where the plot illustrates the conflicting interests of a father and his son with the father wanting his son to study MBA but his son wanting to become a cricketer like Dhoni.[247]
^"Dhoni now India's most successful keeper". NDTV. 6 November 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022. For his swashbuckling style, composed demeanor and subdued flamboyance, Dhoni was chosen as MTV's Youth Icon of the year in 2006, within 2 years of his international debut.
.jpg)
India
Indian Army
Lieutenant Colonel[3]
Territorial Army
