Captain Cool turns 45: Looking back at MS Dhoni’s extraordinary career

NEW DELHI: Former Indian skipper and ‘Captain Cool’ MS Dhoni turns 45 on Tuesday.

Dhoni has one of the most inspiring journeys in sports history. From working as a ticket collector at a railway station, he transformed into India’s biggest trophy collector, leading the team to the ICC T20 World Cup 2007, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, and ICC Champions Trophy 2013 as skipper.

He made his international debut in 2004 and made a name for himself as a ferocious hitter of the cricket ball, but mellowed down with time to a finisher who would guide his team to wins with his calculated aggression and amazing tactics.

With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals, and 538 appearances across formats for India, Dhoni is not only one of the greatest cricketers the game has ever seen but also a revolutionary who redefined the role of a wicketkeeper-batter and transformed India’s approach to limited-overs cricket.

5⃣3⃣8⃣ Intl Matches
1⃣7⃣,2⃣6⃣6⃣ Intl Runs
8⃣2⃣9⃣ Intl Dismissals behind the stumps

Winning Captain of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2007, ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2011, ICC Champions Trophy 2013

Happy Birthday to Former #TeamIndia Captain @msdhoni, an absolute icon of… pic.twitter.com/rsovep8gWI

— BCCI (@BCCI) July 7, 2026

In 350 One Day Internationals (ODIs), Dhoni amassed 10,773 runs at an exceptional average of 50.57, including 10 centuries and 73 half-centuries, with a career-best score of an unbeaten 183. He remains India’s sixth-highest run-scorer in ODIs, with Sachin Tendulkar leading the list with 18,426 runs.

What makes Dhoni’s record truly remarkable is that he accumulated more than 10,000 ODI runs while batting predominantly in the middle order, maintaining an average above 50 despite often arriving at the crease under pressure and with fewer overs at his disposal.

He led India in 200 ODI matches, winning 110 and losing 74. Five games were tied, while 11 failed to produce a result. He has a winning percentage of 55. Across 98 T20 Internationals, Dhoni scored 1,617 runs at an average of 37.60 and a strike rate of 126.13, registering two half-centuries with a highest score of 56.

While his batting numbers are impressive, it was his leadership that truly defined his T20I legacy. As captain, he guided India to its maiden ICC T20 World Cup title in 2007, laying the foundation for a new era in Indian cricket.

Affectionately known as ‘Mahi’, he led India in 72 T20Is, winning 41 matches, losing 28, with one tie and two no-results, finishing with a win percentage of 56.94.

Coming to his long-format career, Dhoni played 90 matches, scoring 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09. He scored six centuries and 33 half-centuries, with the best score of 224. He is the 14th-highest scorer for India in Tests.

As Test captain, Dhoni led India in 60 matches, winning 27, losing 18, and drawing 15, finishing with a win percentage of 45.00. His tenure marked a defining phase in India’s Test cricket journey, as he guided the team to the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test Rankings for the first time.

He also etched his name in history as the only Indian captain to whitewash Australia in a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, achieving emphatic 4-0 victories in both the 2010-11 and 2012-13 home series. (ANI)