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Former India skipper MS Dhoni turns 41 today. The Chennai Super Kings captain and legend MSD achieved incredible laurels over the course of his international career that lasted from 2004 to 2019. Even the name of his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings is synonymous with Dhoni who is also known as 'Thala' by Chennai fans.
Often known as Captain Cool for his calm and composed demeanor even in the most pressured situations, Dhoni remains the only captain to have won all three ICC trophies. Other than his leadership abilities, Dhoni is known as one of the best wicketkeepers in the business especially when it came to lightning-quick stumpings and remarkable catching behind the stumps. In addition, he is one of the finest finishers that the world has ever seen.
As he celebrates his 41st birthday, here in this article, we have a look at 41 special matches from his cricketing career.
1. India vs Pakistan 2nd ODI in Visakhapatnam, 2005
MS Dhoni was promoted to the number 3 position in this ODI game by the then Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly. Dhoni in his first four international matches had smashed just 22 runs but he still got backed by management and the long-haired Jharkhand lad translated his potential in that game by smashing 148 runs from just 123 balls. His knock helped India to win that game by 58 runs and take a lead of 2-0 in the ODI Series.
2. India vs West Indies at Indian Oil Cup (6th ODI Match) in Colombo, 2005
MS Dhoni, coming into bat in the 46th Over (at number 6), played a finisher's role by smashing quickfire 28 runs from just 13 balls. India defeated West Indies by a margin of just 7 runs which helped them to play the finals of the Tri-Series tournament against Sri Lanka two days later. This remains to be the first game where MS Dhoni started showing off his finishing skills with the bat.
3. India vs Zimbabwe at Videocon Triangular Series (6th ODI Match) in Harare, 2005
India, who had set out to chase 251 runs against Zimbabwe, at one stage were struggling at 91/5. MS Dhoni, coming in at number 7, had a brilliant 158-run partnership with Yuvraj Singh and won this game for India by 4 wickets. Dhoni stayed unbeaten till the end of the match and his contribution of 67* (63 balls) helped the Men in Blue chase this target with 11 balls to spare.
4. India vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI in Jaipur, 2005
MS Dhoni recorded his highest score ever in his ODI career in this match. His 183* still remains to be the best score by any wicketkeeper in ODIs. MSD came out to bat at the number 3 position in this match when India were 7/1 (0.5 overs) and he went back only after finishing the match for the home team. As a result of Dhoni's blistering knock, India chased down a big total of 299 runs very easily with 23 balls remaining.
5. India vs Sri Lanka 7th ODI in Vadodara, 2005
Dhoni batted at the number 4 position in this match and smashed 80 off 73 balls against Sri Lanka. Dhoni's aggressive knock helped India reach their target of 245 runs inside 40 overs itself and for his contribution of 346 runs in this ODI Series he was awarded the Man of the Series award. India ended up winning this ODI Series by a margin of 6-1 (7 match Series).
6. India vs Pakistan 2nd Test Match in Faisalabad, 2006
Pakistan in their 1st Innings smashed a huge total of 588 runs and put the Indian side under pressure. Dhoni coming in at number 6 smashed quick-fire 148 runs and helped his side to take of lead of 15 runs. This was Dhoni's maiden century in Test Cricket. Coincidentally, when Dhoni had made his maiden ODI century at that time too he had scored the exact same score- 148. Both of MSD's maiden hundreds in ODI and Test came against Pakistan.
7. India vs Pakistan 3rd ODI in Lahore, 2006
In this fixture, Dhoni came into bat at the number 7 position and his quickfire 72 off 46 balls helped his side win the match by 5 wickets. As a result, India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. This was during the Rahul Dravid-Greg Chappell era and Dhoni had began to establish himself as one of the finest finishers in world cricket. Moreover, this was the time when the Dhoni-Yuvraj Singh partnership played a pivotal role in India wining several matches while chasing totals.
8. India vs England 6th ODI in Jamshedpur, 2006
MS Dhoni, despite suffering from severe back pain, opened the innings for India and ended up smashing 96 runs for his team when every other batter failed to stick around him. Ramesh Powar smashed 54 off 83 balls while batting at the number 7 position. Despite a herculean effort from Dhoni, India ended up losing this game by 5 wickets.
9. India vs West Indies 1st Test in Antigua, 2006
MS Dhoni showed his hard-hitting ability once again in a Test match by smashing 69 runs off 52 balls which included 6 Sixes and 4 boundaries. Dhoni before getting out smashed a hat-trick of Sixes in the over bowled by Dave Mohammed which pissed off the then West Indies skipper Brian Lara as well.
10. India vs Bangladesh 1st ODI in Mirpur, 2007
MS Dhoni's terrific unbeaten 107-run partnership with Dinesh Karthik helped India defeat Bangladesh by 5 wickets. Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 91 off 106 balls to chase 251 runs with an over to go. This Bangladesh tour in 2007 was meant to be very crucial for India as it happened after a terrible performance by India in 2007 ODI World Cup. Dhoni won the Man of the Match award for his brilliant performance.
11. Asia XI vs Africa XI at Afro-Asia Cup (3rd ODI Match) in Chennai, 2007
MS Dhoni entered the scene when his team was struggling at 72/5 and his partnership with the skipper Mahela Jayawardene helped Asia XI post a big total of 331/8 on board and helped them to win this Afro-Asia Cup. MS Dhoni won the man of the match award for his aggressive knock of unbeaten 139 runs from 97 balls and as a wicketkeeper, he affected 3 stumpings.
12. India vs Pakistan in T20 WC 2007 Group Stage
Technically this was MS Dhoni's first match as Captain in International Cricket with a result being produced. The Match ended in a tie and the bowl-out method was used as a tie-breaker to decide the result of the game. Pakistan used all fast bowlers for this process while MS Dhoni cleverly used spinners like Robin Uthappa, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag to hit the stumps properly and ensured India get those two important points. Later, members of the team recalled that Dhoni had asked them to be prepared for such a situation.
13. India vs Pakistan T20 WC 2007 Finals
India ended up defeating Pakistan in a thriller by just 5 runs under the guidance of "Captain Cool" Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. When Pakistan needed 13 to win off the last over with one wicket remaining and Misbah-ul-Haq on strike, Dhoni went for the inexperienced Joginder Sharma. Joginder was clearly under pressure as he ended up conceding 7 runs (wide and six) off his first two deliveries itself. However, in the end, Dhoni's decision helped India win the World Cup as Misbah scooped one straight to short fine-leg where S Sreesanth took a memorable catch.
14. India vs Australia 4th ODI in Chandigarh, 2007
MS Dhoni got his first ODI win as Captain in this game. He won the man of the match award also for his performance off an unbeaten 50 from 35 balls. In addition, he made 2 crucial stumpings as wicket-keeper as well. MS Dhoni after taking up limited-overs captaincy in 2007 made a lot of changes by bringing a few young players into the team as replacements for Ganguly and Dravid post this series.
15. India vs Pakistan 1st ODI in Guwahati, 2007
MS Dhoni smashed a brilliant 63 off 77 balls while chasing 240 runs to win the 1st ODI. As skipper, he promoted himself to the number 4 position and took up the responsibility to win this game and once again he won the Man of the Match award for his valiant fifty-plus knock.
16. India vs Australia at CB Tri-Series (4th ODI Match) in Melbourne, 2008
India under MS Dhoni have looked like a different team as their strategies helped them to bundle out a dominant side like Australia for just 159 runs. Dhoni completely shocked them with mind games as he asked his team-mates to not to celebrate this victory wildly since everyone might consider this as an upset and also he was giving instructions on how to conduct themselves with Aussies post-match.
17. India vs Australia 2nd Finals at CB Tri-Series in Brisbane, 2008
India defeated Australia by 9 runs and sealed the CB Tri-Series 2008 with a team comprising of youngsters like Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa and Rohit Sharma. India created history by winning an ODI Series on Australian soil only for 2nd time after the 1985 Benson & Hedges World Series.
18. Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru, 2008
MS Dhoni won the Man of the Match award for his brilliant 65 off 30 with the bat. This was the maiden fifty of Dhoni in IPL and he gave a glimpse that Dhoni will be leading the Chennai franchise much like how he led India for the past few months. It would be fair to say that Dhoni's legacy in IPL has been unmatched by any other player so far.
19. India vs Hong Kong at Asia Cup (4th Match) in Karachi, 2008
MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina's 166-run partnership helped India to defeat Hong Kong convincingly by a big margin of 256 runs. Dhoni smashed 109* off 96 balls while Raina won the Man of the Match award for his maiden ODI century.
20. India vs Sri Lanka at Asia Cup (11th ODI Match) in Karachi, 2008
India chased down 309 runs with the help of fifty-plus scores from Gambhir, Raina and Dhoni. MS Dhoni won the Player of the Match award for his brilliant 67 runs and 2 catches that he took as wicket-keeper.
21. India vs Sri Lanka 3rd ODI in Colombo (RPS), 2008
MS Dhoni entered the scene when India were struggling at 91/4 and he ended up smashing 76 off 80 balls to help their team post a decent total of 237/9. India won this game by 33 runs and Dhoni was awarded the Man of the Match award for this game as well.
22. India vs Australia 2nd Test in Mohali, 2008
MS Dhoni smashed 92 & 68* in both innings of the game and once again won the Man of the Match award just in his 2nd Test match as Captain. This was farewell Series for both Anil Kumble and Ganguly. Dhoni gradually became the captain of India in all three formats of the game.
23. India vs New Zealand 1st Test in Hamilton, 2009
India defeated New Zealand by 10 wickets and also later sealed this 3-match Test Series by a 1-0 margin. Indian team under MS Dhoni created history by winning a Test Series on New Zealand soil after 41 years. They became the number 1 test team in ICC rankings.
24. Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings in Durban, 2009
CSK defended a small total of 116/9 under MS Dhoni's Captaincy. This still remains to be the lowest total ever defended in IPL history.
25. India vs West Indies in Kingston, 2009
MS Dhoni smashed 95 off 130 balls when his team got bowled out for just 188 runs. Although India lost this game, Dhoni's knock salvaged some pride for India in that game.
26. Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings in Dharamsala, 2010
MS Dhoni in a must-win game for CSK smashed an unbeaten 54 off 29 balls which helped them to qualify for the semifinals. Dhoni showed his aggressive side in this game and this remains to be one of the most iconic knocks of MS Dhoni ever.
27. Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians Finals in DY Patil Stadium, 2010
MS Dhoni became the first Indian Captain to win the IPL final. Mumbai Indians despite being a dominant team lost the final match to Chennai Super Kings. His field setup for Kieron Pollard in that game remains a talking point for everyone.
28. India vs Sri Lanka at Asia Cup Finals in Dambulla, 2010
India won Asia Cup under MS Dhoni's Captaincy after a period of 15 years. India under MS Dhoni had started seeing a lot of highs by winning T20 WC, CB Tri-series, IPL trophy, Asia Cup and were also the then number 1 ranked Test team in ICC rankings.
29. Chennai Super Kings vs Warriors CL T20 Finals in Johannesburg, 2010
CSK won both IPL 2010 and CL T20 2010 finals under the leadership of MS Dhoni. His tactical moves on-field and bowling changes played a major role in the team's success in both these events.
30. India vs Sri Lanka World Cup Finals in Mumbai-Wankhede, 2011
MS Dhoni's unbeaten 91-run knock in the high-pressure game ensured India lifted the World Cup after 28 years. Dhoni's iconic six to finish that game and his move to promote himself ahead of Yuvraj Singh are moments that Indian cricket lovers will never forget in their lives. Even legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavakaskar had famously said that he would watch Dhoni's six to lift the World Cup in his last moments.
31. Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Finals in Chennai, 2011
MS Dhoni-led CSK won 2 consecutive IPL trophies. 2010-2011 has been a glorious year for Dhoni as skipper. He won 2 IPL Trophies, 1 CL T20 Trophy and most importantly the 2011 World Cup which will never be forgotten by the Indian fans.
32. Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians Eliminator in Bengaluru, 2012
MS Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 51 from just 20 balls. His knock ensured CSK continued their dominant run against MI in IPL. Premium Pace bowler Lasith Malinga also couldn't put the skipper Dhoni under pressure.
33. India vs Pakistan 1st ODI in Chennai, 2012
When Dhoni entered the scene India were struggling at 29/5 and from there he managed to build a decent partnership with both Raina and R Ashwin which helped them to reach a total of 227/6. Despite India losing this game, Dhoni's knock salvaged some pride for the team.
34. India vs Australia 1st Test in Chennai, 2013
MS Dhoni recorded his highest score of 224 runs in Test Cricket. This knock was a very crucial one for skipper Dhoni as this came after a home Series Test loss against England in November 2012.
35.CSK vs SRH at Champions League T20 in Ranchi, 2013
Captain Dhoni smashed five sixes off the over bowled by Thisara Perera and reached his half-century in just 16 balls. Not only was this the fastest fifty in Champions League T20 but also the joint-fastest fifty for the franchise in T20 history. MSD ended up smashing an unbeaten 63 from just 19 balls to entertain the crowd in his hometown.
36. Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders CL T20 Finals in Bengaluru, 2014
CSK won their 2nd CL T20 trophy in style by defeating KKR by 8 wickets. MS Dhoni finished off the game in his trademark style by a huge six.
37. India vs Bangladesh at WT20 2016 in Bengaluru, 2016
When Bangladesh needed just 2 runs to win from 3 balls, MS Dhoni's cool and calm presence on the field helped India to win that game by 1 run. In the last ball of the game, Dhoni brilliantly took off his glove and ran to the stumps to affect a run-out.
38. Rising Pune Supergiants vs Punjab Kings in Visakhapatnam, 2016
Needing 23 runs off the last over, Dhoni managed to get 11 off the first 4 deliveries. In the last two balls, MS Dhoni smashed two sixes off the last two balls to seal a victory for his team in style. Axar Patel was on the receiving end of Dhoni's masterclass.
39. Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bengaluru, 2018
MS Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 70 off 34 balls to help CSK chase down a big total of 206 runs on board. CSK of 2018 was quite different as each and every player stood up for the team when it mattered the most. Even in this match, Chennai needed a record total but Dhoni's blistering knock coupled with Ambati Rayudu's 82 from 53 helped CSK register a memorable win. Chennai went on to win their third IPL title this year.
40. India vs Australia 3rd ODI in Melbourne, 2019
India after losing the first ODI ended up winning the remaining two ODI games with the help of his fifty-plus scores by Dhoni in both 2nd and 3rd ODI. Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 87 off 114 balls and helped India win this game by 7 wickets and also the ODI series by 2-1. Dhoni won the Man of the Series award as well.
41. Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals Qualifier-1 in Dubai, 2021
When MS Dhoni looked totally out of form with the bat since the 2020 IPL, he made a bold decision of promoting himself ahead of Ravindra Jadeja when 24 were needed to win from 11 balls. Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 18 from just 6 balls to finish the game in style after a very long time. This was an emotional moment for most of the Dhoni fans and post this CSK achieved the feat of winning their 4th IPL title.