MS Dhoni, the great ambassador of Indian cricket

07 July, 2012

MS Dhoni has been one of the finest Indian captains ever. It is his birthday today. Syed Kirmani and Lalchand Rajput wished him luck for the future on his birthday, when CJ Ashim spoke to them.

IT IS 7th of July. It was on this day in the year 1981 that MS Dhoni gave his first cry. “MS Dhoni has been a great ambassador for Indian Cricket,” says, Lalchand Rajput, who was the coach of the Indian Cricket team, when they won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa under the leadership of MS Dhoni. Syed Kirmani, another former Indian wicketkeeper says, “I wish him Happy Birthday and may he bring many laurels, more success, and also lead a healthy life.”

MS Dhoni has been one of the best Indian captains, if not the best ever. Apart from being a fantastic captain, he has been a great wicketkeeper batsmen, who instills fear in the minds of the opponents. He announced himself in the international stage with his aggressive batting instincts, but his game has changed over the years, but he is still a very important player in the Indian batting line up. It is the maturity of a cricketer, which has been well appreciated by cricket pundits. Such things make this cricketer from Jharkhand an exceptional cricketer.

Dhoni made his ODI and Test debut in 2004 and 2005 respectively. Since then he has never looked back. He came up with brilliant performances, which made headlines all over the world. His innings of 183 runs against Pakistan at Vizag in 2005 has been etched in the memory of Indian cricket fans. His first major triumph as an Indian captain came during the T20 World Cup. Since, then the lady luck has been smiling heavily on MS Dhoni.

In terms of his batting, MS Dhoni has been performing consistently in ODIs, when compared to Test matches. His career average in Test matches stands at 37, as per stats of the website espncricinfo. In ODIs, his average is more than 50 with a strike rate in the higher 80s. Lalchand Rajput, when asked as to what he remembers most about MS Dhoni, he replied, "huge sixes and the helicopter shot.” In the shortest format of the game, he averages in the higher 20s at the international level.

The presence of quality Indian cricketers has made MS Dhoni's work very easy. As Kirmani puts it, “A successful captain is when a team performs.” In this regard, MS Dhoni has been lucky, as most of the players have contributed towards an Indian win. 2011 Cricket World Cup is testimony to the mentioned fact, where players such as Yuvraj Singh, Tendulkar, Zaheer rose to the party and helped India win the trophy. Rajput considers him to be one of the best Indian captain.