MS Dhoni: The Legend On And Off The Field

It’s Been Precisely 2,385 Days Since We Last Saw Our Beloved Legend In Whites, 861 Days Since He Last Played T20s For India, 729 Days Since We Saw Him In Blues Playing The ODI World Cup Semi-final And 67 Days Since We Saw Him In Yellow.

And Now It Is Our Thaala’s 40th Birthday. No Fan Family Could Ever Understand What Thaala Means To Us, No One Ever Can.

Reminiscing The Old Days, Let’s Look At Some Legendary Things That Made Him Thaala:

1. The Very First International Century - 148 Vs Pakistan, 2005

After Sachin Tendulkar Was Dismissed In The Fourth Over, Ganguly Promoted Dhoni To No. 3 After The Team Had Already Won The Series Opener In Kochi. Dhoni Made His Mark On The Greatest Platform With A Stroke-filled 148 Off 123 Balls, After Scoring 0, 12, 7*, And 3 In His First Four International Appearances.

2. 2011 World Cup Final - 91* Vs Sri Lanka

This Will Go Down In History As MS Dhoni's Finest Knock. India Were In Trouble At 114/3 In 22 Overs, Chasing A Score Of 275. Then, After A 109-run Stand Between Gautam Gambhir (97 Off 122) And Dhoni (91 Off 79), Yuvraj Singh (21 Off 24) Aided Dhoni In An Undefeated 54-run Stand. India Won The World Cup For The Second Time, Defeating Sri Lanka By Six Wickets With Ten Balls To Spare.

His World-cup-winning 'helicopter' Six Off Nuwan Kulasekara Will Go Down In Indian Cricket History As One Of The Most Memorable Moments.

3. IPL 2021, Eliminator - 51* Vs Mumbai Indians

This Innings Exemplifies Dhoni's Temperament In Big Games. CSK Set A Target Of 187 In The Eliminator Against Mumbai Indians In 2012 After Captain Dhoni Hammered 51 Not Out Off 20 Balls Against An Attack Led By Lasith Malinga, Who Was Still In His Heyday At The Time. As A Result, MI Fell Short Of Their Aim, And CSK Won The Match.

4. Highest T20 Score - 56 Vs England, 2017

Dhoni Unleashed His Power-hitter Side At M Chinnaswamy Stadium. England Was Picking Up Wickets At A Steady Rate, And India Were At 120 For Three In The 14th Over When Suresh Raina Was Bowled For 63 Runs Off 45 Balls. India Needed To Accelerate From There, And Dhoni Provided It, Scoring 56 Off 36 Balls To Take India To 202/6. (5x4, 2x6).

India Won The Match By 75 Runs, Thanks To Leggie Yuzvendra Chahal's 6/25.

5. “I Am On National Duty, Other Things Can Wait”

The Birth Of One's First Kid Is Always A Memorable Occasion That No One Wants To Miss. However, We All Know What Happened When Thaala's Child Was Born. MS Was In Australia At The Time, And When Inquired About His Daughter's Birth, He Famously Replied, "I Am On National Duty, Other Things Can Wait."

To Make Things Funnier, Dhoni's Wife Sakshi Had To Contact Our Chinna Thaala,Suresh Raina, To Inform MS About Ziva's Birth.

6. From Humble Beginning To Humble Captaincy 

Dhoni, Who Was Born And Raised In A Moderate Family, Went On To Have A Remarkable Career, Immense Popularity, And More Money Than One Would Need To Live Comfortably. While Most People Would Be Tempted To Let Their Success Get The Best Of Them, That Is Not What Happened To Our Dear Thaala.

His Calm And Humble Demeanour Became A Signature Of His Captaincy Style. Not Only On The Field, But Off It As Well, He Is A Humble Individual. If Dhoni Were To Be Described In One Word, It Would Be Humble, From His Gratitude For His Fans To His Continued Contact With Old Acquaintances.

Like We All Have Said Earlier, Thaala Star Nahi, Jaan Hai Humari!