Birthday special: MS Dhoni – 5 Lesser-Known facts about the Indian legend
Mahendra Singh Dhoni- the man behind this name does not need any introduction. The young Ranchi lad who was persuaded to become a wicketkeeper rather than a batter has gone a long way from serving as an Indian Railways ticket collector to leading the Indian Cricket Team to success in all the major ICC events, thereby becoming the only captain in the history of cricket to have won all the three ICC trophies (ICC World T20 2007, ICC ODI World Cup 2011, ICC Champions Trophy 2013).
Dhoni, born on July 7, 1981, has always been considered one of the best finishers in the limited-overs game. Additionally, he is considered one of the finest wicketkeepers in cricket history due to his lightning, quick stumpings. When an Indian wicketkeeper with long hair guided his country to victory in the T20 World Cup in 2007, he made history, and there has been no turning back since.
A sincere and devoted family guy, though, is what lies beneath the cricketer. Mahi is everyone’s favorite hero. So much so that his life was captured in a Bollywood film and his entire cricketing journey has been shown vividly. We admire Dhoni for his stunning catches and stumpings behind the stumps in addition to his countless runs in international cricket. Although we have witnessed him being crowned the leader of the Chennai Super Kings and leading the IPL franchise to four championship titles, there are many things about Dhoni that are still lesser-known-
- Recommended for captaincy by Sachin Tendulkar
It was 2007 when the selectors and management started looking out for Rahul Dravid’s successor. With no experience of leading in domestic cricket, First Class, or List-A games, Dhoni emerged as the rightful candidate for the role, thanks to Tendulkar. And since the day he stepped into the captaincy role, cricket in India reached newer heights.
- Most centuries as captain while batting at No. 7 position
While there are many legendary skippers who have numerous centuries to their name, there was just one captain who had two centuries to his name while batting at No. 7 position, which is the most as no other skipper has managed to bag more than one ton while playing at No. 7.
- Cricket was not his first choice
Those who’ve watched his biopic might know this, but there are some who don’t know that Dhoni always wanted to become a goalkeeper and pursue football before he caught his school teacher’s attention, who roped him in as the wicketkeeper in the school’s team after seeing his goalkeeping skills.
- Mahi Racing Team
Dhoni’s love and craze for bikes is known by many, but not everyone is aware that he owns a team in the Supersport World Championship. Dhoni took his love for bikes to a new level when he joined hands with Telugu actor Nagarjuna Akkineni to get his hands on a racing team.
- Conferred honourary Lieutenant Colonel rank in Indian Army
In the Parachute Regiment of the Territorial Army, Dhoni holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Dhoni took a two-month break from cricket after the 2019 World Cup to serve his Victor Force unit in Kashmir.
