Happy Birthday MSD: Reliving MS Dhoni's decorated career as he turns 41

1) MS Dhoni - The Run-machine

MS Dhoni was a run machine for Team India during his 15-year-long international career. As a result, he ended with 17,266 runs, 16 hundreds and 108 half-centuries overall. 

MS Dhoni's numbers:

Tests: 4,876 runs in 90 matches

ODIs: 10,773 runs in 350 games

T20Is: 1,617 runs in 98 appearances

He was an asset down the order and finished several games for India, across formats, with his blitz with the willow.

(Photograph:AFP)

2) MS Dhoni - The mastermind behind the stumps

Dhoni remains a mastermind behind the stumps. Often, he used to plot batters' dismissals courtesy of his wise mind and quick reflexes. Thus, he ended with 829 dismissals overall -- third-most in international cricket -- with 634 catches and 195 stumpings (most by a keeper). 

The 41-year-old resorted to his unorthodox yet highly-successful methods which reaped rewards for him and the national team.

(Photograph:AFP)

3) MS Dhoni - Captain Cool

MS Dhoni had an envious run as Indian team's captain from 2007 till end of 2016. Under him, India achieved plenty of highs and won all three major ICC titles (2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy) along with also becoming the No. 1 ranked Test side for the first time in late 2009.

While Dhoni's record as Test captain was tarnished severely with plenty of defeats in SENA countries, he still led India to a 1-1 series result versus hosts South Africa in 2010/11 tour, 1-0 series victory over New Zealand in their own backyard in 2009 and a series win in West Indies in 2011. Under him, India also won a Test match at Lord's after 28 years in 2014. 

In the white-ball formats, India won bilateral ODI series in New Zealand, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and lifted the 2010 Asia Cup. In T20Is, India won the Asia Cup in 2016, whitewashed hosts Australia in a three-match series in early 2016, won a series 1-0 versus South Africa in the African nation, and reached the final of the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

Dhoni emphasised fielding and fitness, revamped the side by removing Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and the likes, rotated his bowlers beautifully, backed youngsters to the core, and brought calmness and composure in tight situations.

(Photograph:AFP)

4) MS Dhoni - The mighty six-hitter

MS Dhoni remains a big-hitter. He announced his arrival at the international level with some unbelievable knocks, filled with strokeplay, and became a household name resorting to his six-hitting abilities. While he became a much mature and calculative batter as the years went by, he ended his international career with second-most sixes (359 overall). 

To date, he occupies the same position for India (sixth-overall). In Tests, he has hit second-most sixes (78) after Virender Sehwag (91) and fourth-most in T20Is. Even in the IPL, where he still remains an active player for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he has hit 229 sixes (fourth-most) and was the first Indian to have hit 200 sixes.

(Photograph:AFP)

5) MS Dhoni - An IPL legend

After from his international heroics, Dhoni has been an absolute legend in the IPL. The right-hander has so far accumulated 4,978 runs across 15 editions. He has an average of 39.20 and a strike rate of 135.20. Dhoni has played several match-winning and finishing knocks. CSK's Thala has seventh-most runs overall and has crossed the 350-run mark on as many as eight seasons. In addition, he has accounted for most dismissals by a keeper (170). 

Dhoni has won the IPL four times -- all as the CSK captain -- played the final on as many as ten occasions and led the Yellow Army to the playoffs on every season they have participated in barring the 2020 and 2022 editions. He has already confirmed his participation in the next year's edition.

(Photograph:X)