Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Dhoni's life:

• December 23, 2004- Makes his ODI debut against Bangladesh in Chittagong. Is run out for 0 after facing one ball, in a match India win by 11 runs.
• April 5, 2005- The first ODI hundred by an Indian wicketkeeper. After scores of 0, 12, 7* and 3, is sent up the order to No 3 against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam and proceeds to smash 148 off 123 balls with 15 fours and four sixes, setting the platform for India's 356/9. The world wakes up to Dhoni's potential.
• October 31, 2005: Dhoni stamps himself into the history books with a record 183* against Sri Lanka in Jaipur, helping India chase 301 with six wickets and 23 deliveries to spare. Batting at No 3, his 145-ball hundred makes a stiff target look well short and India go up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series.
• September 13, 2007: Dhoni's first international match in charge of India is a wash out against Scotland in their ICC World Twenty20 opener. Few could have predicted how India's tournament will pan out.
• September 24, 2007: India win the inaugural World Twenty20 by beating Pakistan in an absolute humdinger in Johannesburg. Dhoni is an overnight sensation once more and the landscape of T20 cricket is changed forever.
• September 29, 2007: Captains India for the first time in ODIs, in a washed out fixture with Australia in Bangalore. Chasing 308, India are 9/1 when rain arrives.
• October 2, 2007: In the next match in Kochi, Dhoni scores his first fifty as captain - 58 off 88 balls - as India are beaten by 84 runs to fall behind 0-1 in the seven-match series.
• October 8, 2007: India's first ODI win under Dhoni comes in the fourth match of the series with Australia, and the skipper leaves his imprint with 50* off 35 balls and two stumpings to be named Man of the Match.
• November 15, 2007: First ODI series win for Dhoni as captain, as India beat Pakistan by six wickets in Gwalior to take the lead 3-1 in the best-of-five series. His contribution? An unbeaten 45 off 45 balls as 256 is chased with six wickets in hand.
• March 4, 2008: A momentous occasion for India as they win their first ODI series in Australia. The landmark comes in the second final of the CB Series, which India win by nine runs to make it 2-0.
• August 27, 2008: Having skipped the Tests in Sri Lanka, Dhoni returns for the ODI leg of India's tour and wins his third series. Victory in the fourth ODI in Colombo makes it 3-1 to India, with Dhoni scoring 71 off 80 balls.
• November 26, 2008: Dhoni's first 5-0 sweep of any team. Victory by six wickets in Cuttack whitewashes Kevin Pietersen's England.
• March 11, 2009: Dhoni becomes the first Indian captain to win an ODI series in New Zealand. A whirlwind century from Virender Sehwag seals a ten-wicket win in Hamilton.
• July 3, 2009: Dhoni's unbeaten 46 off 34 balls at Gros Islet clinches a pulsating ODI with one ball remaining and seals the series against West Indies. Needing 11 from the last over, India win with a six from the skipper.
• February 24, 2010: India win a three-match series at home over South Africa, riding on Sachin Tendulkar's record-setting 200*. Dhoni injects 68 off 35 balls to a total of 401/3.
• June 24, 2010: India lift the Asia Cup under Dhoni, beating Sri Lanka by 81 runs in Dambulla.
• April 2, 2011: India win the World Cup after 28 years, with the skipper hitting the winning runs with a six. Promoting himself up the order, Dhoni shrugs off his poor run in the tournament with the innings of his life: 91* off 79 balls.
• October 25, 2011: India salvage some pride with a 5-0 win over England when Alastair Cook's team visit. Dhoni is Player of the Series.
• October 2, 2012: India beat South Africa by one run in their last league match of the fourth World Twenty20, having already been knocked out of the tournament.
• June 23, 2013: Dhoni marshals his troops superbly to lead India to a narrow five-run win in the final of the Champions Trophy over hosts England, thus becoming the first captain to hold all three of the ICC's major titles.
• July 11, 2013: Dhoni hits India to another title win, this time in the final of a tri-series in the West Indies. India are nine down needing 15 off the last over against Sri Lanka. The second ball goes for six, the third for four and the fourth for six more to seal a thrilling victory.
• November 2, 2013: India beat Australia 3-2 at home with victory in the seventh ODI in Bangalore, in which Rohit Sharma becomes the third male batsman to cross 200. Dhoni hits 62 off 38 balls.
• September 2, 2014: A sliver of brightness for India away from home. They beat England by nine wickets in Birmingham to win the ODI leg of another difficult tour.
• March 14, 2015: Dhoni hits 85* off 76 balls to help defending champions India into the quarter-finals of the World Cup. They beat Zimbabwe by six wickets at Eden Park.
• January 31, 2016: Dhoni leads India to a landmark 3-0 sweep of Australia in Australia in the T20Is that follow a 1-4 loss in the ODI leg.
• March 6, 2016: India beat Bangladesh in the final of the Asia Cup - now a T20 tournament - to send them into the World Twenty20 on a high.
• March 23, 2016: Dhoni's coolness and ability to back players under immense pressure is to the fore in Bangalore, where Bangladesh are beaten by one run during the World Twenty20. Dhoni helps India pull off an incredible heist.
• March 31, 2016: India are beaten by West Indies in the semi-finals in Mumbai. After the loss, Dhoni calls an Australia reporter onto the dais during the press conference in an unprecedented move.
• June 22, 2016: Dhoni rounds off India's tour of Zimbabwe with a 3-1 win in the T20Is. The ODIs are a 3-0 sweep for his fledgling team.
• October 29, 2016: Leads India to a 3-2 ODI series win over New Zealand, completing the victory in the deciding final match.
• January 4, 2017: Announces that he is giving up the captaincy, but remains available for selection for the upcoming England series.
• August 15, 2020: Dhoni retired from all formats of international cricket. He continues to play in the IPL.


Last Appearance of Dhoni in International Cricket

Dhoni's Debut Match

Winning Moment 2011 World Cup

"When I die, the last thing I want to see is the six that Dhoni hit in the 2011 World Cup final."

-- Sunil Gavaskar

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