Tasked with leading a relatively inexperienced side early in his career, Mahendra Singh Dhoni not only repaid the selectors’ and team management’s faith, but also allowed India to etch its name in the history books with the maiden ICC World T20 title in its inaugural edition in 2007.
His abilities in limited-overs cricket had already turned heads when he played blistering innings of 148 and 183 within a year of his debut, but the World T20 triumph in South Africa was the platform that gave everyone a glimpse of a long-haired and fearless Dhoni’s noticeable leadership skills. There has been no turning back for MSD since then.
Dhoni excelled in his natural growth as India’s leader on the pitch, bringing a thick skin and relative indifference to the results, two crucial elements that had previously set the pattern for an Indian captain to hold his post. His collaboration with Gary Kirsten in 2011 saw the Indian squad end the country’s 28-year drought for the prized ICC World Cup title.
It was an accomplishment that no other Indian skipper, with the exception of Kapil Dev, had achieved. But Dhoni wasn’t finished yet. Dhoni helped India win another ICC trophy two years later, this time the Champions Trophy, which was contested in England and Wales. Dhoni became the first skipper in history to win all three main ICC trophies, a feat that has yet to be repeated by his peers.
Today, he may be nearing the end of his illustrious career and his days in international cricket are numbered, but Dhoni will always be regarded as one of the greatest contributors to Indian cricket. Dhoni definitely has a lot of accomplishments to chose from as someone who has literally won everything in international cricket. However, there are a few moments in his career that stand out above the others.
Dhoni recently chose the amazing reception India received back home after winning the World T20 in 2007 and the thrilling atmosphere at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium during the final few minutes of the historic World Cup final against Sri Lanka as his favourite moments from his illustrious career.
“There are two situations I’d want to bring up over here. So, following the 2007 (T20) World Cup, we returned to India and took an open bus ride to Marine Drive (in Mumbai). “It was crowded all around, and people were getting out of their cars,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by PTI.
“So, seeing everyone’s smile made me feel good.” Because there could have been a large number of people in the crowd who missed their flights or were on their way to vital work. “The kind of response we got, the entire Marine Drive was packed from end to end,” he remarked.
Speaking about another memorable moment in his career, Dhoni revealed that he was overjoyed to hear the entire crowd chant ‘Vande Mataram’ as the 2011 World Cup final approached its conclusion, with India on the verge of an emphatic victory, which was eventually made sweeter by the then-Indian captain’s towering six.
“The second instance I would cite is the 2011 World Cup final, when 15-20 runs were required, and how all the spectators began chanting ‘Vande Mataram’ at Wankhede Stadium.” These are two instances that I believe will be tough to reproduce. “Those are the two moments that are very special to me,” Dhoni said.
