He is the David Beckham of Indian cricket. His smooth movements, powerful hitting, plethora of endorsement deals, and variety of hairstyles have often drawn parallels to the world-famous soccer player. He is the captain of the Indian cricket team. It is the rock of India; he is the one who repairs, solves problems, makes decisions and builds the team. Without it, the Indian cricket, in all probability, would be lost like a flock of sheep without its shepherd. It is the phenomenon known as Mahendra Singh Dhoni or lovingly abbreviated as MS Dhoni. You are not a true Indian if you don’t know who he is, but if you do, you will only be happy to get to know him better. Here are some interesting and fun facts about our fearless cricket team leader.
• Dhoni was born in Ranchi on July 7, 1981
• He has two siblings, a brother and a sister.
• Initially sported long dyed hair, but later cut it short, imitating his favorite Bollywood actor, John Abraham.
• He is passionate about motorcycles and has an impressive collection of bikes.
• Dhoni married his wife Sakshi on July 4, 2010. They had studied together as children at the same school and were friends of the family.
• Made his Ranji Trophy debut during the 1999-2000 season, at the age of eighteen.
• First seen by TRDO PC Podar when he saw Dhoni play for Jharkhand in 2003. He was quick to alert the National Cricket Academy of such pure talent.
• His defining moment came on October 31, 2005, when Dhoni scored 183 runs on just 145 balls against Sri Lanka in the One Day International game. He became the only batter to score such high runs in the second inning.
• It was under Dhoni’s captaincy that the Indian cricket team was able to defeat Australia by 320 runs.
• Holds the record for the maximum number of catches by an Indian player.
• It was again under his captaincy that India reached No. 1 in test cricket for the first time in history.
• Dhoni has the best win-loss ratio compared to the other competitors from India. He also holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak in Testing, with eleven continuous events to his credit.
• Currently endorsing around 20 different brands, one less than Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
• Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s profile is filled with numerous applause including the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award and the Padma Shri Award.