“Thanks a lot for your love and support throughout. From 1929 hrs, consider me retired.” With this Instagram post, the legendary cricketer MS Dhoni called time on his international cricket career on August 15, 2020. You can’t get a bigger personality than MS Dhoni, the boy from Ranchi who came, saw, and conquered all the ICC trophies, earning fame and the tag of ‘finisher’.
Although his journey did not start like a fairy tale, as he made his debut at the age of 23 in December 2004 against Bangladesh, the star batter had a challenging series with scores of 0, 7, and 12 in his first three innings, totaling 19 runs. However, things changed dramatically when he scored a magnificent 183 runs against arch-rivals Pakistan at Visakhapatnam. This inning, rightfully, changed everything for him, and there was no looking back.
MS Dhoni’s legacy: Three ICC trophies and unmatched excellence
Slowly and steadily, this Ranchi-born cricketer captured everything. But before we get into his success, we must remember the setback in the 2007 ODI World Cup, which was a complete debacle for India. From there, things began to change as they were meant to. Dhoni was appointed as the captain of the limited-overs teams, with his first major task being to lead India in the inaugural T20 World Cup. His shrewd captaincy and correct selection choices were key reasons for India’s triumph.
In 2011, following the 2007 nightmare, Dhoni and his team conquered their fears, winning the World Cup, with Dhoni himself being the hero of the final, scoring 91 runs and hitting the winning six with his Reebok bat. That moment remains a memorable photo frame. India’s victory in the Champions Trophy in 2013, against England, completed the full circle.
He has earned all the laurels available, including the Test Mace and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The man has achieved it all and, rightly so, has earned every accolade.
MSD: The Finisher
Well, many say that Dhoni was made for white-ball cricket, and if we go by that, no one can deny that his batting in white-ball formats is unmatched. Coming in usually down the order, he has over 10,000 runs in ODIs, with many memorable helicopter shots over long-on. However, a lot of people forget that MS Dhoni, who hung up his Test boots in 2014 after a poor performance on foreign pitches, also has 4,876 runs in red-ball cricket. This highlights how proficient this master was in international cricket, playing not just for himself but always for the team.
Dhoni played his final international game against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2019 semi-finals. The run-out of Martin Guptill was a sharp reminder of the end, leaving everyone in tears, including Dhoni himself.
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