Mahendra Singh Dhoni

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MS Dhoni

Personal information Full name Born Nickname Height Batting style Bowling style Role Mahendra Singh Dhoni 7 July 1981 (age 31) Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand), India Mahi 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Right-hand batsman Right-hand medium Wicket-keeper, India captain International information National side Test debut (cap 251) Last Test ODI debut (cap 158) Last ODI T20I debut (cap 2) Last T20I India 2 December 2005 v Sri Lanka 13 January 2012 v Australia 23 December 2004 v Bangladesh 4 August 2012 v Sri Lanka 1 December 2006 v South Africa 7 August 2012 v Sri Lanka

Years 1999/002004/05 2004/05-present 2008present

Domestic team information Team Bihar Jharkhand Chennai Super Kings Career statistics

Competition Matches Runs scored Batting average 100s/50s Top score Balls bowled Wickets Bowling average 5 wickets in innings 10 wickets in match Best bowling Catches/stumpings

Test 67 3,509 37.32 5/24 148 78 0 192/28

ODI 211 6,908 51.17 7/46 183* 12 1 14.00 1/14 199/66

FC 108 5,671 36.12 8/38 148 108 0 300/47

T20Is 32 565 29.73 0/0 48* 15/5

Source: Cricinfo, 7 August 2012

Mahendra Singh Dhoni pronunciation (helpinfo) (born 7 July 1981) is an Indian cricketer and the current captain of the Indian national cricket team and the Chennai Super Kings cricket team. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in December 2004 against Bangladesh, and a year later played his first Test, this time against Sri Lanka. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, CB Series of 200708, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2008 and 2010 against Australia 20, Asia cup 2010 and 2011 World Cup. His Test, ODI record is best among all the Indian captains to date. He also captained Chennai Super Kings to victory in the recent 2011 IPL and in the Champions League. He is now captain of India in all three forms of the game and also led the team to their first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Under Dhoni's captaincy India became the first team after a gap of more than 20 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series. Dhoni also led the Indian team to the number one position in ICC rankings in Test cricket for the first time. Dhoni has also been the

recipient of many awards including the ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian player to achieve this feat), the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2009. In 2009 Dhoni topped the list of worlds top 10 earning cricketers compiled by Forbes[1] and he has been ranked as 31st richest sportsman in the world according to the Forbes Highest Paid Athletes for the year 2012. Dhonis total earnings are estimated to be USD 26.5 million according to Forbes. Thus he has became the richest Indian sportsman surpassing Sachin Tendulkar.[2][3][4] He was named as the captain of ICC World Test and ICC ODI teams for 2009. In the final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, he hit 91 not out of just 79 balls to lead India to victory. For his outstanding batting in the final, he was awarded as the man of the match. The TIME magazine added him in its "Time 100" list of 100 most influential people of 2011.[5] SportsPro has rated MS Dhoni as the 16th most remarkable athlete in the world.[6]

Contents

1 Early life and background 2 Personal life 3 Playing style 4 Domestic career o 4.1 Junior cricket o 4.2 Bihar team o 4.3 India A team o 4.4 Indian Premier League 4.4.1 Batting Stats in IPL and Champions League Twenty20 5 ODI career 6 Test career 7 Captain of India o 7.1 Two-match ban o 7.2 World Cup 8 Cricket performance o 8.1 ODI Cricket o 8.2 ODI records o 8.3 Record in international cricket o 8.4 Man of the Series Awards o 8.5 Test cricket o 8.6 Test records 9 Captaincy Record 10 Honorary Awards and Appreciations 11 Match Ban 12 Endorsements 13 Notes 14 External links

Early life and background

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was born in Ranchi, Bihar (now in Jharkhand),[7] and he identifies as being a Rajput.[8] His paternal village Lvali is in the Lamgarha block of the Almora District of Uttarakhand. Dhoni's parents, moved from Uttarakhand to Ranchi where Pan Singh worked in junior management positions in MECON. Dhoni has a sister Jayanti and a brother Narendra.[9] Dhoni is a fan of Adam Gilchrist, and his childhood idols were cricket teammate Sachin Tendulkar, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and singer Lata Mangeshkar.Shreya Ghoshal is his current favourite singer. He said this in front a press conference with Pune Mirror.[10][11] Dhoni studied at DAV Jawahar Vidya Mandir, Shyamali,(now the school is known as JVM, Shyamli, Ranchi) Ranchi, Jharkhand where he initially excelled in badminton and football and was selected at district and club level in these sports. Dhoni was a goalkeeper for his football team and was sent to play cricket for a local cricket club by his football coach. Though he had not played cricket, Dhoni impressed with his wicketkeeping skills and became the regular wicketkeeper at the Commando cricket club (19951998). Based on his performance at club cricket, he was picked for the 1997/98 season Vinoo Mankad Trophy Under-16 Championship and he performed well. [9] Dhoni focused on cricket after his 10th standard.[12] MS Dhoni was a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur railway station from 2001 to 2003, under South Eastern Railway in Midnapore (W), a district in West Bengal. His colleagues remember him as a very honest, straightforward employee of the Indian Railways. But he also had a mischievous side to his personality. Once, while staying at the railway quarters, Dhoni and a couple of his friends covered themselves in white bedsheets and walked around in the complex late in the night. The night guards were fooled into believing that there were ghosts moving around in the complex. The story made big news on the next day.[13][14][15]

Personal life

Sakshi Singh Rawat, Dhoni's wife

Dhoni married Sakshi Singh Rawat on 4 July 2010. Sakshi Dhoni, a native of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. At the time of their marriage, she was studying Hotel Management and was working as a trainee at the Taj Bengal, Kolkata. After the retirement of Sakshis father from tea gardens, their family shifted to their native place, Dehradun. The wedding stumped the media and the fans as it took place only a day after the couple got engaged.[16][17] Bollywood actress Bipasha Basu, a close friend of Dhoni, was quick to inform the media that the wedding was planned for months and was not a spur of the moment decision.[18]

Playing style
Dhoni is a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper. Dhoni is one of the number of wicket-keepers who have come through the ranks of junior and India A cricket teams to represent the national team Parthiv Patel, Ajay Ratra and Dinesh Karthik also followed this route. Dhoni, referred to as 'Mahi' by his friends, debuted in the Bihar cricket team during the 1998/99 cricket season and was selected to represent India-A for a tour to Kenya in 2004. Along with Gautam Gambhir, Dhoni made multiple centuries against the Pakistan-A team in a tri-nation series and was selected in the Indian national team later in that year.[19] Dhoni tends to play mostly from the back foot with a pronounced bottom hand grip. He has a very fast hand speed through the ball which often results in the ball racing across the ground. From this initial stance his feet do not show much movement which sometimes results in chasing balls while not coming to the pitch of the ball or to some deliveries catching the inside edge. Dhoni scored 148 against Pakistan in his fifth ODI match in 2005 then the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper. Later in the year, he broke his own record as well as set the current world record for the highest score in the second innings in ODI matches as he scored 183* against Sri Lanka. Dhoni's success in the limited overs format secured him a place in the Test team. Consistent performances in ODI cricket through the end of the 2005/06 season saw Dhoni briefly ranked as the No. 1 batsman in the ICC ODI ratings.[9] Dhoni's form dipped through 2006 as India lost matches at the ICC Champions trophy, DLF Cup, away bilateral series against West Indies and South Africa. A return to form in the home series against West Indies and Sri Lanka in early 2007 proved to be an inaccurate indicator of Dhoni's form as India crashed out of the first round in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Dhoni was out for a duck in both India's losses. After the World Cup, Dhoni won the Man of the series award in the bilateral ODI tournament against Bangladesh. For the tour of England, Dhoni was named the ODI team vice-captain.[20] Only nine players have captained ten or more Tests while playing as a wicket-keeper. Dhoni leads the field with 33 Tests as captain, 15 ahead of Gerry Alexander in second place.[21]

Domestic career
Junior cricket
Dhoni was included in the Bihar U-19 squad for the 1998/99 season and scored 176 runs in 5 matches (7 innings) as the team finished fourth in the group of six and did not make it to the quarter finals. Dhoni was not picked for the East Zone U-19 squad (CK Nayudu Trophy) and Rest of India squad (MA Chidambaram Trophy and Vinoo Mankad Trophy). Bihar U-19 cricket team advanced to the finals of the 19992000 Cooch Behar Trophy where Dhoni made 84 to help Bihar post a total of 357. Bihar's efforts were dwarfed by Punjab U-19's 839 with Dhoni's future national squad teammate Yuvraj Singh making 358.[22] Dhoni's contribution for the tournament included 488 runs (9 matches, 12 innings), 5 fifties, 17 catches and 7 stumpings.[23] MS Dhoni made it to the East Zone U19 squad for the CK Nayudu trophy but scored only 97 runs in four matches as East Zone lost all four matches and finished last in the tournament.

Bihar team
Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut for Bihar in the 19992000 season as an eighteen year old. He made a half century in his debut match scoring 68* in the second innings against Assam cricket team.[24] Dhoni finished the season with 283 runs in 5 matches. Dhoni scored his maiden first-class century against Bengal in the 2000/01 season in a losing cause.[25] Apart from the century, his performance in the 2000/01[26] did not include another score over fifty and in 2001/02 season he scored just five fifty in each season in four Ranji matches.[27] Dhoni's performance for the 2002/03 season in the Ranji Trophy included three half centuries in the Ranji Trophy and a couple of half-centuries in the Deodhar Trophy competition as he started winning recognition for his lower-order run 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 trophy. He was part of the East Zone squad that won the Deodhar Trophy for the year and contributed with 244 runs in 4 matches. In the Duleep Trophy finals, Dhoni was picked over International cricketer Deep Dasgupta to represent East zone.[28] He scored a fighting half century in the second innings in a losing cause. [29] The future captain was discovered via the BCCI's small-town talent-spotting initiative TRDW. Dhoni was discovered by TRDO PC Podar, captain of Bengal in the 1960s, when he saw Dhoni play for Jharkhand at a match in Jamshedpur in 2003, and sent a report to the National Cricket Academy.[30]

India A team
He was recognised for his efforts in the 2003/04 season, especially in the ODI format and was picked for the India A squad for a tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya.[31] Against the Zimbabwe XI in Harare Sports Club, Dhoni had his best wicket-keeping effort with 7

catches and 4 stumpings in the match.[32] In the tri-nation tournament involving Kenya, India 'A' and Pakistan 'A', Dhoni helped India 'A' chase their target of 223 against Pakistan 'A' with a half-century.[33] Stressing on his performance, he scored back to back centuries 120[34] and 119*[35] against the same squad. Dhoni scored 362 runs in 7 matches (6 innings, Avg:72.40), and his performance in the series received attention from the then Indian Cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly[36] and Ravi Shastri amongst others. However, the India 'A' team coach Sandeep Patil recommended Dinesh Karthik for a place in the Indian squad as Wicket-keeper/Batsman.[37]

Indian Premier League

M.S.Dhoni was contracted by the Chennai Super Kings for 1.5 Million USD. This made him the most expensive player in the IPL for the first season auctions.[38] Dhoni is the present captain of the Chennai Super Kings Team. Under his captaincy, Chennai Super Kings have won 2 Indian Premier League titles and the 2010 Champions League Twenty20. Batting Stats in IPL and Champions League Twenty20 Tournament Matches Innings 2008 Indian Premier League 2009 Indian Premier League 2010 Indian Premier League 2010 Champions League Twenty20 2011 Indian Premier League 2011 Champions League Twenty20 2012 Indian Premier League 16 14 Not Strike Runs Highest Average 50s Out Rate 4 414 65 133.54 41.40 2
[39]

14

13

332 58*

127.20 41.50

2
[40]

13

11

287 66*

136.66 31.88

2
[41]

91

31*

130.00 45.50

0
[42]

16

13

392 70*

158.70 43.55

2
[43]

46

22*

82.14 15.33

0
[44]

19

17

357 51*

128.41 29.75

1
[45]

TOTAL- In IPL and Champions League Twenty20 Not Strike Tournament Matches Innings Runs Highest Average 50s Out Rate In Indian 8 Premier 59 51 15 1425 70* 138.61 39.58 [46] League In Champions 10 9 4 137 31* 108.73 27.40 0 League Twenty20 8 Overall 69 60 19 1562 70* 135.35 38.09 [47]

ODI career

ODI Career of Dhoni. Brown line indicates 10 match average while the orange line indicates career average progression. The Indian team in the 2000s (decade) saw the use of Rahul Dravid as the wicket-keeper to ensure that the wicket-keeper spot didn't lack in batting talent.[36] The Indian cricket establishment also saw the entry of wicket-keeper/batsmen from the junior ranks with talents like Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik both India U-19 Captains in the test squads.[36] With Dhoni making a mark in the India-A squad, he was picked in the ODI squad for the Bangladesh tour in 2004/05.[48] Dhoni did not have a great start to his ODI career, getting run out for a duck on debut.[49] In spite of an average series against Bangladesh, Dhoni was picked for the Pakistan ODI series.[50] In the second match of the series, Dhoni in his fifth one-day international, scored 148 in Vishakapatnam off only 123 deliveries. Dhoni's 148 surpassed the earlier record for the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper,[51] a record that he would re-write before the end of the year. Dhoni had few batting opportunities in the first two games of the Sri Lankan bilateral ODI series (OctoberNovember 2005) and was promoted to No. 3 in the third ODI at Sawai Mansingh Stadium (Jaipur). Sri Lanka had set India a target of 299 after a Kumar Sangakkara century and in reply, India lost Tendulkar early. Dhoni was promoted to

accelerate the scoring and ended the game with an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls, winning the game for India[52] an innings described in Wisden Almanack (2006) as 'Uninhibited, yet anything but crude'.[53] The innings set various records including the highest Individual score in ODI cricket in the second innings,[54] a record that still stands. Dhoni ended the series with the highest run aggregate (346)[55] and was awarded the Man of the series award for his efforts. In December 2005, Dhoni was signed by BCCI to a B-grade contract, skipping the initial C-grade level due to his performance on the cricketing field.[56]

Dhoni bowling in the nets. He rarely bowls at international level. India scored 328 in 50 overs with Dhoni contributing 68 in their first match of 2006 against Pakistan. However the team finished poorly, scoring just 43 runs in the last eight overs and lost the match due to Duckworth-Lewis method.[57] In the third match of the series, Dhoni came in with India in a precarious situation and scored 72 runs off just 46 balls that included 13 boundaries to help India take a 21 lead in the series.[58][59] The final match of the series had a repeat performance as Dhoni scored 77 runs off 56 balls to enable India win the series 41.[60] In recognition of his consistent ODI performances, Dhoni overtook Ricky Ponting as number one in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen on 20 April 2006.[61] His reign lasted just a week as Adam Gilchrist's performance against Bangladesh moved him to the top spot.[62] Two cancelled series in Sri Lanka, one due to the withdrawal of South Africa from the Unitech Cup due to security concerns[63] and the replacement 3-match ODI bilateral series against Sri Lanka washed due to rain,[64] was India's prelude to another

disappointing tournament DLF Cup 2006-07. Dhoni scored 43 runs as the team lost twice in three games and did not qualify for the finals. India's lack of preparation showed in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy as they lost to West Indies and Australia, though Dhoni scored a half-century against West Indies. The story of the ODI series in South Africa was the same for both Dhoni and India as Dhoni scored 139 runs in 4 matches and India lost the series 40. From the start of the WI ODI series, Dhoni had played 16 matches, hit just two fifties and averaged 25.93. Dhoni received criticism on his wicket keeping technique from former wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani.[65] Preparations for the 2007 Cricket World Cup improved as India recorded identical 31 victories over West Indies and Sri Lanka and Dhoni had averages in excess of 100 in both these series. However, India unexpectedly crashed out the World Cup after losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Dhoni was out for a duck in both these matches and scored 29 runs in the tournament. After the loss to Bangladesh in 2007 Cricket World Cup, the house that Dhoni was constructing in his home-town Ranchi was vandalised and damaged by political activists of JMM.[66] The local police arranged for security for his family as India exited the World cup in the first round.[67] Dhoni put his disappointment in the World cup behind him by scoring 91* against Bangladesh after India were left in a tight spot earlier in the run-chase. Dhoni was declared the man of the match for his performance, his fourth in ODI cricket. He was also later adjudged the man of the series after the third game of the series was washed away. Dhoni had a good Afro-Asia Cup, getting 174 runs in 3 matches at an average of 87.00, with a blitzkrieg 139 not out of 97 balls, a Man Of The Match innings, in the 3rd ODI. Dhoni was nominated as the vice-captain of the ODI team for the series against South Africa in Ireland and the subsequent India-England 7-match ODI series.[20] Dhoni, who received a 'B' grade contract in December 2005, was awarded an 'A' grade contract in June 2007. And also he was elected as captain of Indian Twenty-20 Cricket Team for the World Twenty20 in September 2007. On 2 September 2007 Mahendra Singh Dhoni equalled his idol Adam Gilchrist's international record for the most dismissals in an innings in ODI by catching 5 English players and stumping one.[68] He led India to the ICC World Twenty 20 trophy in South Africa with a victory over arch rivals Pakistan in an intensely fought final on 24 September 2007, and became the second Indian captain to have won a World cup in any form of cricket, after Kapil Dev. Dhoni took his first wicket and ODI wicket on 30 September 2009. He bowled Travis Dowlin from the West Indies. During the series between India and Australia, Dhoni hit an aggressive 124 runs in just 107 balls, in the second ODI, and a measured knock of 71 runs in 95 balls, along with Yuvraj Singh, saw India home by 6 wickets, in the third ODI. Dhoni topped the ICC ODI Batsman rankings for several months continuously in 2009, it was Hussy from Australia who replaced him for the top spot in the beginning of 2010.[69] Dhoni had an excellent year in ODIs in 2009 scoring 1198 runs in just 24 innings at an astonishing average of 70.43. Dhoni was also the joint top-scorer in ODIs in 2009 along with Ricky Ponting, but the latter having played in 30 innings.

On 12 February 2012, Dhoni made an unbeaten 44 to guide India to their first win over Australia at Adelaide. In the final over, he hit a monstrous six which travelled 112 metres off the bowling of Clint McKay. During the post-match presentation, he described this six as more important than the one he hit during the ICC World Cup final in 2011. [70]

Test career

Test Career of Dhoni. Each bar indicates a single innings and the red line indicates the progression in his career batting average. An alternative image showing a 10 innings moving average is available. Following his good one-day form against Sri Lanka, Dhoni replaced Dinesh Karthik in December 2005 as the Indian Test wicket-keeper.[71] Dhoni scored 30 runs in his debut match that was marred by rain. Dhoni came to the crease when the team was struggling at 109/5 and as wickets kept falling around him, he played an aggressive innings and was the last man dismissed.[72] Dhoni made his maiden half-century in the second Test and his quick scoring rate (half century came off 51 balls) aided India to set a target of 436 and the Sri Lankans were bowled out for 247.[73] India toured Pakistan in January/February 2006 and Dhoni scored his maiden century in the second Test at Faisalabad. India were left in a tight spot as Dhoni was joined by Irfan Pathan with the team still 107 away from avoiding follow-on. Dhoni played his typical aggressive innings as he scored his maiden test century in just 93 balls after scoring his first fifty in just 34 deliveries.[74]

Dhoni at fielding practice. Dhoni followed his maiden test century with some prosaic batting performances over the next three matches, one against Pakistan that India lost and two against England that had India holding a 10 lead going into the test match. Dhoni was the top scorer in India's first innings in the third test at Wankhede Stadium as his 64 aided India post a respectable 279 in reply to England's 400. However Dhoni and the Indian fielders dropped too many catches and missed many dismissal chances including a key stumping opportunity of Andrew Flintoff (14).[75] Dhoni failed to collect the Harbhajan Singh delivery cleanly as Flintoff went on to make 36 more runs as England set a target of 313 for the home team, a target that India were never in the reckoning. A batting collapse saw the team being dismissed for 100 and Dhoni scored just 5 runs and faced criticism for his wicket-keeping lapses as well as his shot selections. On the West Indies tour in 2006, Dhoni scored a quick and aggressive 69 in the first Test at Antigua. The rest of the series was unremarkable for Dhoni as he scored 99 runs in the remaining 6 innings but his wicket-keeping skills improved and he finished the series with 13 catches and 4 stumpings. In the test series in South Africa, Dhoni's scores of 34 and 47 were not sufficient to save the second test against the Proteas as India lost the test series 21, squandering the chance to build on their first ever Test victory in South Africa (achieved in the first Test match). Dhoni's bruised hands ruled him out of the third test match.[76] On the fourth day of the first Test match at Antigua Recreation Ground, St John's, Antigua during India's tour of West Indies, 2006, Dhoni's flick off Dave Mohammed to the midwicket region was caught by Daren Ganga. As the batsman started to walk back, captain Dravid declared the innings when confusion started as the umpires were not certain if the fielder stepped on the ropes and Dhoni stayed for the umpire's verdict. While the replays were inconclusive, the captain of the West Indies side, Brian Lara, wanted Dhoni to walk-off based on the fielder's assertion of the catch. The impasse continued for more than 15 minutes and Lara's temper was on display with finger wagging against the umpires and snatching the ball from umpire Asad Rauf. Ultimately, Dhoni walked-off and Dravid's declaration was effected but the game was delayed, and Lara's action was criticised by the commentators and former players. Lara was

summoned by the match referee to give an explanation of his actions but he was not fined.[77] Dhoni scored two centuries in Sri Lanka's tour of India in 2009, a series of 3 matches in which he led India to a 20 victory. With this feat, India soared up to the number 1 position in Test cricket for the first time in history. India scored 7269 (decl) in the third match of this series, which is their highest Test total ever.[78]

Captain of India
Dhoni was named the captain of India Twenty 20 squad for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 held in South Africa in September 2007.[79] India were crowned champions as Dhoni led the team to victory against Pakistan in a thrilling contest.[80] He, then went on to become the ODI captain of the Indian team for the seven-match ODI series against Australia in September 2007.[81] He made his debut as full-time Test captain of India during the fourth and final test against Australia at Nagpur in November 2008 replacing Anil Kumble who was injured in the third test and who then announced his retirement. Dhoni was vice-captain in this series up to that point.[82] India eventually won that Test thus clinching the series 20 and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.[83] Dhoni had previously captained India on a stand-in basis against South Africa and Australia in 2008 and 2009 respectively. It was under his captaincy that India climbed to No. 1 in the ICC Test Rankings in December 2009. After that he managed to lead India in a series-levelling world championship of Tests against the South Africans in February 2010. After winning the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup for India against Sri Lanka on 2 April 2011 with his match winning knock of unbeaten 91, Tendulkar heaped praises on Dhoni, claiming him to be the best captain he has played under. Tendulkar mentioned that it was Dhoni's calm influence that was rubbing off on all his team-mates and even under such extreme pressure from every corner the way Dhoni handles it and brings the best out of him was just incredible. Saurav Ganguly also said in an interview to a news channel that Dhoni is the all time greatest captain of India and he has a great record to support this credential.

Two-match ban
Dhoni was handed a two-match ban from playing in the ODI series against Sri Lanka for the team's slow over-rate during the second one-dayer in Nagpur (18 December 2009).[84]

World Cup
Under Dhoni's captaincy, India won the 2011 World Cup. In the final against Sri Lanka, chasing 275, Dhoni promoted himself up the batting order, coming before Yuvraj Singh. When he came to bat India needed more than six runs per over with three top order batsmen already dismissed. He started building a good partnership with Gautam

Gambhir. Due to good strokeplay and active running between wickets, they kept up with the required run rate. Dhoni was on 60 off 60 balls, but later accelerated with a greater flow of boundaries, ending with 91 not out off 79 balls. Befitting the occasion, he finished the match with a huge six over long-on off bowler Nuwan Kulasekara. Later he admitted in the post match presentation that he came up the order so as to counter the Muralitharan spin threat as he was very familiar with Murali's bowling, being his team-mate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings. He had come after the dismissal of Virat Kohli, also a right-handed batsman. By partnering with the left-handed Gambhir, he ensured a right-left combination at the crease that makes it difficult for bowlers to settle into a rhythm. The bat used by Dhoni in the final match,which got the team winning six was sold for 72 Lac. The money goes to Sakshi Rawat Foundation, operated by Dhoni's wife Sakshi Rawat to help orphan children.[85]

Cricket performance
ODI Cricket
ODI career records by opposition

# Opponent Matches Runs Average

High 100s 50s Catches Stumping Score 1 0 3 3

1 Africa XI[86]

3 174

87.00 139*

2 Australia

29 840

40.00

124

28

10

3 Bangladesh

13 338

67.60 101*

13

4 Bermuda 5 England

29

29.00

29

29 980

51.57

96

25

Hong Kong Ireland

1 109

- 109*

34

34.00

34

8 Netherlands New Zealand Pakistan

19

19*

11 309

51.50

84*

10

26 1005

52.89

148

25

11 Scotland South Africa Sri Lanka West Indies

12

19 386

25.73

107

13

55 2041

60.02 183*

2 16

58

15

14

19 521

47.36

95

16

15 Zimbabwe

2 123

123.00

67*

Total

211 6908

51.17 183*

7 46

199

66

ODI Centuries:

ODI centuries

# Runs Match

Against

Stadium

City/Country Year

1 148

5 Pakistan

ACA-VDCA Vishakapatnam, 2005 Stadium India Sawai Mansingh Stadium

2 183*

Sri 22 Lanka

Jaipur, India

2005

3 139*

Africa 74 [86] XI

MA Chidambaram Chennai, India 2007 Stadium National Stadium VCA Stadium VCA Stadium Karachi, Pakistan

4 109*

109

Hong Kong

2008

5 124

143 Australia

Nagpur, India

2009

6 107

152

Sri Lanka

Nagpur, India

2009

7 101*

Sher-eBangla 156 Bangladesh Cricket Stadium

Dhaka, Bangladesh

2010

ODI records

On 31 October 2005 Dhoni scored 183* runs of just 145 balls against Sri Lanka in Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, which is the highest score made by any batsman in the second innings (surpassing Lara's previous record of 153). [54] o The innings featured 10 Sixes the most by an Indian in an innings, and the fifth highest in ODIs.[87] o He broke Adam Gilchrist's record of 172 for the highest score made by a wicket keeper. o The innings set the record for the most number of runs scored in boundaries (120 15x4; 10x6) breaking the record held by Saeed Anwar.

However this was later broken by Herschelle Gibbs (126 runs in boundaries 21x4; 7x6) against Australia during his knock of 175. o The score of 183* equalled Ganguly's innings during the 1999 Cricket World Cup as the highest individual score against Sri Lanka. Among Indian batsmen who have played more than 50 matches, Dhoni has the highest average.[88] Dhoni's batting average is also the highest amongst wicketkeepers in ODIs. In June 2007, Dhoni(139*) and Mahela Jayawardene(107)[86] set a new world record for the sixth wicket partnership of 218 runs against Africa XI during the Afro-Asia Cup.[89] o Dhoni passed Shaun Pollock's record for the highest individual score by a number seven batsman in one-day internationals during his unbeaten innings of 139.[90] Incidentally, Pollock record stood for just three days as his score of 130 came in the first match of the 2007 Afro-Asia Cup while Dhoni's century came in the third and final match of the series. o Dhoni also holds the records of the most dismissals in an innings by an Indian wicketkeeper and joint International (with Adam Gilchrist) with 6 dismissals (5 catches and one stumping) against England at Headlingly 2 September 2007. o Dhoni holds the Indian record of most dismissals in ODIs. He went past Nayan Mongia's 154 for India on 14 November 2008 when he caught Ian Bell off Zaheer Khan at Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Ground, Rajkot. However including 3 ODIs against Africa XI, his 155th dismissal was TM Dilshan caught off Munaf Patel at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on 24 August 2008. Dhoni, when he was on four during his innings of 23 against Sri Lanka at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo on Saturday, completed 4,000 runs in ODIs. Having already effected 165 dismissals (125 catches + 40 stumpings), Dhoni became the sixth wicketkeeper after Adam Gilchrist, Andy Flower, Alec Stewart, Mark Boucher and Kumar Sangakkara to complete the "double" of 4,000 runs and 100 dismissals in the history of ODIs. Dhonis feat of completing the "double" of 4,000 runs and 100 dismissals in only 114 innings is a world record. He is the youngest wicket-keeper batsman to do so (27 years and 208 days).

Record in international cricket

Dhoni's results in international matches Matches Won Lost Drawn Tied 67 26 16 25 0 208 116 78 2 31 14 15 1

Test ODI[93] T20I[94]

[91][92]

No result 12 1

Man of the Series Awards

S No

Series (Opponents)

Season

Series Performance

Sri Lanka in India ODI Series India in Bangladesh ODI Series India in Sri Lanka ODI Series India in West Indies ODI Series India in ODI Series England in ODI Series England

2005/06

346 Runs (7 Matches & 5 Innings, 1x100, 1x50); 6 Catches & 3 Stumpings 127 Runs (2 Matches & 2 Innings, 1x50); 1 Catches & 2 Stumpings[95] 193 Runs (5 Matches & 5 Innings, 2x50); 3 Catches & 1 Stumping

2007

2008

2009

182 Runs (4 Matches & 3 Innings with an average of 91); 4 Catches & 1 Stumping 236 Runs (5 Matches & 5 Innings with an average of 78.66, 3x50) 212 Runs (5 Matches & 4 Innings with out been dismissed even once in the series, 2x50)

2011

India

2011

Man of the Match Awards:

S No

Opponent

Venue

Season

Match Performance

Pakistan

Vishakapatnam

2004/05

148 (123b, 15x4, 4x6); 2 Catches 183* (145b, 15x4, 10x6); 1 Catch

Sri Lanka Jaipur

2005/06

Pakistan

Lahore

2005/06 72 (46b, 12x4); 3 Catches

4 Bangladesh

Mirpur

2007

91* (106b, 7x4); 1 Stumping 139* (97b, 15x4, 5x6); 3 Stumpings 50* ( 35 b, 5x4 1x6); 2 Stumpings 63, 1 Stumping

5 Africa XI[86]

Chennai

2007

Australia Chandigarh

2007

Pakistan

Guwahati

2007

8 9

Sri Lanka Karachi Sri Lanka Colombo (RPS) New Zealand West Indies

2008 2008

67, 2 Catches 76, 2 Catches

10

McLean Park, Napier

2009

84*, 1 Catch & 1 Stumping

11

Beausejour Stadium, St. Lucia

2009

46*, 2 Catches & 1 Stumping 124, 1 Catches, 1 Stumping & 1 Runout

12

Australia

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur

2009

13 Bangladesh 14

Mirpur

2010

101* (107b, 9x4)

Sri Lanka Wankhede Stadium Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium

2011

91 Not Out

14

England

2011

87*, 1 Catch & 1 Stumping

Test cricket

Test performance[96]:

Test career records by opposition

# Opponents Matches Runs Average

High 100s 50s Catches Stumpings Score

1 Australia

13 596

28.38

92

34

2 Bangladesh

3 193

96.50

89

12

3 England New Zealand

12 617

32.47

92

37

5 299

49.83

98

19

5 Pakistan South Africa Sri Lanka West Indies

5 323

64.60

148

10 560

37.33 132*

24

9 491

49.10

110

21

10 430

26.88

144

36

Total

67 3509

37.32

148

5 24

192

28

Test centuries:

Test centuries

# Runs Match Against

Stadium Iqbal Stadium

City/Country Year Faisalabad, Pakistan

1 148

5 Pakistan

2006

2 110

38

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

Sardar Patel Ahmedabad, Stadium India Brabourne Stadium

2009

3 100*

40

Mumbai, India 2009

4 132*

42

South Eden Africa Gardens West Indies Eden Gardens

Kolkata, India 2010

5 144

63

Kolkata, India 2011

Man of the Match Awards:

S No 1

Opponent

Venue Season Match Performance 92 & 68*

Australia Mohali 2008

Test records

Dhoni's maiden century against Pakistan in Faisalabad (148) is the fastest century scored by an Indian wicket keeper. Only three centuries by two other wicketkeepers (Kamran Akmal and Adam Gilchrist 2) were faster than Dhoni's 93 ball century.[97] Under Dhoni's captaincy, India defeated Australia by 320 runs on 21 October 2008, biggest ever win in terms of runs for India.[98]

Dhoni holds the record for most catches by an Indian player in an innings. He achieved this feat by taking six catches during the first innings of the third test against New Zealand in Wellington in April 2009. Dhoni also equalled Syed Kirmani's record for most dismissals in an innings by an Indian wicket-keeper. Syed Kirmani has effected 6 dismissals (5 catches and 1 stumping) against New Zealand in 1976. Dhoni now has equalled that record for most dismissals with 6 dismissals (all 6 catches) against New Zealand in 2009. Dhoni currently ranks third in the all-time dismissals list by Indian wicketkeepers. With the six dismissals in the first innings of the Test match against New Zealand in Auckland,April 2009, Dhoni has now been involved in 109 dismissals. The following is the list of top five Indian wicket-keepers, in terms of all-time dismissals in test matches: Syed Kirmani (198 dismissals), Kiran More (130 dismissals), Dhoni (109 dismissals), Nayan Mongia (107 dismissals) & Farokh Engineer (82 dismissals). Dhoni is now the second wicketkeeper to have effected 6 dismissals in an innings apart from a fifty in each innings of a Test match. Denis Lindsay had accomplished the feat for South Africa against Australia at Johannesburg in December 1966 69 & 182 and 6 ct. + 2 ct. Under Dhoni's captaincy, India reached their highest test score of 7269 (decl) during Sri Lanka's tour of India in 2009. Their 20 victory in the series took them to the number 1 ranking in Test cricket for the first time in history. Under Dhoni's captaincy, India did not lose a test match until the first test versus South Africa in Nagpur in February 2010. As a captain, he holds a record for longest unbeaten run in tests from his debut, 11 tests (8 wins and 3 draws). This record crossed former Australian captain Warwick Armstrong's run of 10 unbeaten tests (8 wins, 2 draws) from debut. In Dhoni's streak, however, there was a period of injury in which Virender Sehwag led the side (for 3 draws). So India's unbeaten streak was for 14 tests, of which 11 were Dhoni's.[citation needed] However Dhoni's unbeaten streak of 11 test matches ended during India's tour of England in 2011 and England also replaced India from No.1 spot in ICC Test team rankings.

Captaincy Record
Captaincy Record in Test Matches Venue Span Matches Won Lost Tied Draw At Home 2008 20 14 1 0 5 [99] Venues 2011 At Away 2009 19 5 9 0 5 [100] Venues 2012 200810[101] TOTAL 39 19 10 0 2012 Captaincy Record in One Day Internationals Venue Span Matches Won Lost Tied N/R

In India (At Home Venues) At Away and Neutral Venues TOTAL

2007 43 2011 2008 76 2012 2007119 2012

27

13

2
[102]

40 67

28 41

2 3

6
[103]

[104]

Captaincy Record in Twenty20 Internationals Venue Span Matches Won Lost Tied N/R In India (At 2007 0 Home 4 2 2 0 [105] 2011 Venues) At Away 2007 0 11 4 7 0 [106] Venues 2012 At Neutral 2007 1 14 7 5 1 [107] Venues 2010 20071 TOTAL 29 13 14 1 [108] 2012 Note - In the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, India played a Super 8 Match against West Indies. This match comes under the List of Matches played in Away Venues as the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 was being hosted in West Indies