On this day: Forgettable beginning of a glorious career

The last time Mahendra Singh Dhoni donned gloves for India, it was 9th July 2019. India lost the semi-final against New Zealand and crashed out of the ODI World Cup. Dhoni has not played for India since. He is not injured, he is neither dropped nor rested. No one knows if he’ll play another match or not. While his last match is a mystery, his first isn’t. One of the most popular Indian cricketers, MS Dhoni made his debut in international cricket on 23rd December 2004.

Rising through the ranks

Young Dhoni started his cricket career in Bihar. The boy from Ranchi then switched his side to Jharkhand. Dhoni came into prominence for his exploits in the Deodhar Trophy 2003-04 while representing East Zone. He then travelled with India’s A team to Zimbabwe and Kenya. The debut moment arrived when India picked this wicketkeeper-batsman for the 2004-05 Bangladesh tour.

A forgettable debut

Inserted to bat first at Chattogram, India lost captain Sourav Ganguly for a duck. The side further slipped to 45/3. Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif stabilised the innings with a 128-run partnership. Dravid and following batsman S Sriram fell in quick succession. India were 180/5 when MS Dhoni came out to bat.  Eager to score his first run, Dhoni gently flicked the first ball towards the leg side. Tapash Baisya stationed at short fine leg swooped in while Dhoni had taken off. Kaif rightly refused the non-existent run as the debutant fell short of his crease.

A career full of runs

The disastrous debut did not deter MS Dhoni from becoming a legend. He led the young and inexperienced Indian side to the championship in 2007 T20 World Cup. Taking over the captaincy in all formats, Dhoni oversaw India’s rise to being number one ranked Test team in the world. In 2011, the maverick scored 91 not out to seal another World Cup triumph for the nation.

Apart from his leadership qualities, MS Dhoni also stood out as a batsman. He boasts excellent numbers in Tests and T20Is but in ODIs, he is up amongst the bests. Dhoni’s 10,773 runs have come at an average in excess of 50. He is exemplary in his glovework behind the stumps. The Indian cricketer is also one of the most astute readers of the game. His 15 years in international cricket have been memorable for him and India.

It doesn’t matter how you start ,
Finish it like #Dhoni #15YearsofDhoni @msdhoni pic.twitter.com/UnenSDz7Aw

— Gyanu Bhattarai???? (@iamgb007) December 23, 2019