MS Dhoni Birthday: This is how Indian cricket fraternity wishes legend
Happy Birthday MS Dhoni: Legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batter and former captain MS Dhoni turned 42 on Friday. The Indian cricket fraternity took to social media to extend their wishes to the iconic cricketer.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took to official Twitter handle and wrote, "Captain. Leader. Legend! Wishing @msdhoni- former #TeamIndia Captain & one of the finest to have ever graced the game - a very happy birthday Here's a birthday treat for all the fans - seconds of vintage MSD....."
BCCI Secretary Jay Shah also wished Dhoni on his birthday, saying that his charisma, leadership and extraordinary skills continue to inspire millions around the globe.
"Happy Birthday to the most successful captain of Team India, @msdhoni! Your charisma, leadership, and extraordinary skills continue to inspire millions around the globe. Thank you for your unparalleled contributions to Indian cricket. @BCCI," tweeted Shah.
Dhoni's Indian Premier League (IPL) team Chennai Super Kings, with who he has won five IPL titles, also extended wishes to MS Dhoni.
CSK tweeted, "The clock strikes 12 as we step into THALA's birthday in style! BRING ON THE BIRTHDAY WHISTLES! #CelebratingThala #WhistlePodu #Yellove @msdhoni."
Mumbai Indians, the five-time IPL champions and CSK's arch-rivals also wished Dhoni a very happy birthday.
"From Mahi maar raha hai to Dhoni finishes off in style... pure entertainment! Happy Birthday, MSD #OneFamily@msdhoni @ICC," tweeted MI.
Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who has filled Dhoni's shoes like no other with his massive hits and athletic keeping, also cut a cake on his birthday by himself. He took to Instagram to share the picture.
Opener KL Rahul also posted an Instagram story wishing Dhoni, "an inspiration", a very happy birthday.
All-rounder Hardik Pandya also wished his "favourite" Dhoni by sharing a picture of them both.
"Happy birthday my favourite @msdhoni," tweeted Pandya.
Pacer Mohammed Shami also wished Dhoni on his birthday, wishing that god showers him with endless blessings.
"May God continue to shower you with endless blessings. Happy birthday. Happy birthday @msdhoni bhai #mdshami11 #mdshami #birthday #birthdaycake," tweeted Shami.
Notably, Dhoni's strongest format was the ODIs. In 350 ODIs, he scored 10,773 runs at an average of 50.57. He scored 10 centuries and 73 fifties for India, with the best score of 183*. He is India's fifth-highest scorer in ODIs (with Sachin Tendulkar at the top with 18,426 runs). He is also the 11th most successful ODI batter of all time. The fact that he managed to score 10,000-plus runs at an average of over 50 while coming down the order makes his statistics even more astonishing.
He led India in 200 ODI matches, winning 110, losing 74. Five matches were tied while 11 failed to produce a result, he has a win percentage of 55.
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Coming to wicketkeeping, he has the third-highest number of dismissals, with a total of 829, behind Australia's Adam Gilchrist (905) and South Africa's Mark Boucher (998). With 634 catches, he has the third-highest number of catches in international cricket history. His great reflexes also earned him a total of 195 stumpings, the highest by a keeper in cricket history.
With these astonishing statistics as a middle-order batter and his success as a captain, it is unlikely that India and world cricket, in general, will witness a phenomenon like 'Captain Cool' again.