Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a name every cricket lover chants, respects, and even worships. The legendary cricketer celebrates his 43rd birthday today, July 7th. Haven’t you ever wondered why he chose that jersey number? Scroll below for lesser-known details, along with seven milestones he has achieved in his cricket career!
At a promotional event earlier this year, MS Dhoni revealed that his jersey number was connected to his birth date. In fact, he was born in 1981, and 8-1 is seven, plus July is also the seventh month of the year. So it all made sense! For the uninitiated, Javagal Srinath used that jersey number earlier, but after his retirement, the former Indian cricket captain was lucky enough to use it. Many wouldn’t know, but he also had a backup jersey number – ’22’, which he earlier used as a goalkeeper during football days.
Revisiting seven records made by our legendary MS Dhoni on his special day:
ICC Cricket World Cup (2011) – The Historic Moment!
After 28 long years, MS Dhoni did the unimaginable and made us beam with pride with India’s victory in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. He played an exceptional innings, scoring 91* against Sri Lanka in the finals.
ICC T20 World Cup (2007) – Revival of Indian Cricket!
India had lost the ICC Cricket World Cup under the captaincy of Rahul Dravid, which drove a lot of disappointment and backlash all across the nation. MS Dhoni was handed over the captain duties, and he led a young team in South Africa with literally no hopes and expectations. And there, a legend was born, set to achieve many more milestones after the spectacular victory! Wasn’t it one of the most memorable moments in his career?
ICC Champions Trophy (2013) – The Treble!
With victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the only captain worldwide to have won all three ICC limited-overs trophies – T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup, and Champions Trophy. Cricket lovers are very well aware of the climax, and it would be safe to say, no other captain could have pulled off that risk!
#1 batsman of all-time!
In a total of 38 ODI innings since his debut, the cricket legend beat Ricky Ponting to become the fastest batter to achieve rank #1.
#1 Test Ranking – The Unfathomable!
In 2009, India achieved the number-one spot in the ICC Test rankings for the first time. Yet another mastermind milestone of the MS Dhoni!
IPL & CL T20 Victories – Whistlepodu!
Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings has competed in the IPL finals for the highest number of seasons. He also led the team to victory not once or twice but as many as four times so far – 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021.
Not to forget, MSD also roped in Champions League T20 titles in 2010 and 2014.
Wicketkeeping Milestones!
So much is raved about MS Dhoni’s captaincy and batting records, but isn’t his wicketkeeping the best we’ve ever seen? And we have stats proving so –
- Most stumpings in International cricket – 195
- Quickest stumping – 0.08 seconds
- Most dismissals in ODI by an Indian wicketkeeper – 444)
All hail Mahendra Singh Dhoni! Here’s wishing our favorite sportsman a very happy birthday!
Stay tuned to Koimoi for more such interesting pieces.
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google News
