August 15th is day Indian all over the world celebrate as the day they declared their Independence from the British. Since 1947, Indians have gotten together and rejoiced this historic day. The mood was dampened in 2020, not just because of the ongoing pandemic of Covid-19, but also because the Cricketing legend, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, officially announced his retirement.

Over his 16 year career, Dhoni became one of the greatest cricketers of all time. But his career got off to a rocky start as he was run-out for a duck in his debut ODI for India. Dhoni struggled in the first couple of series he was a part of, but on April 5, 2005, the long-haired, ticket collector from Ranchi scored his ODI century cementing his place on the team. Dhoni’s surge to the top of the cricketing mountain did not stop there. 

In 2007, Dhoni took over the captaincy from Rahul Dravid, and in his first tournament as captain, 2007 T20 World Cup, he captained India to victory. Dhoni’s success was not just in the team category, but in the run category as well. In 2009, M.S. scored 1198 runs tieing Ricky Pointing for the most runs scored in that year. Pointing took 30 more innings to get to Dhoni’s mark, as Dhoni scored 1198 runs in just 24 innings. Because of his astonishing average of 70.43 in 2009, he topped the ICC ODI Batsmen Rankings. 

Dhoni revolutionized the way the BCCI looked for players. Dhoni ushered in a new era of having fitter players and letting go of players who were unfit even if they were great batsmen. Dhoni is responsible for bringing on players like Virat Kolhi and Rohit Sharma, two of the world’s best batsmen today. Dhoni’s impact on Indian cricket when way beyond the pitch, but Dhoni’s most significant moment was still to come.

The 2011 World Cup was in India, and it would be the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s final World Cup. India was a favorite going into the tournament, and the team did not disappoint getting to the Final against Sri Lanka. India was set to chase, what was at the time, a massive total of 274. India fell in a hole when both of India’s openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar got out quickly. The score was stabilized, but after the wicket of Virat Kohli fell, M.S. Dhoni walked out to bat. Dhoni scored a brilliant 85, and with India needing just four runs in the next two overs, Dhoni gave India Cricket Fans a moment they will never forget. 

“Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lift the World Cup after 28 years!”

Dhoni finished with 91 runs, and India finished with a second World Cup. He proved worthy of the nickname Captain Cool, given to him by the cricket community, due to his amazing performances in pressure run chases. Dhoni continued to put more trophy’s on his shelf as his IPL team, Chennai Super Kings, have won the tournament three times, and he led India to a win in the Champions Trophy 2013.

Dhoni has had an impressive career and will go down as the most transcendent captain in Indian History. Dhoni’s last ODI is a forgettable one for Indian fans, as he fell just short of the crease against New Zealand in the World Cup Semi-Final. India lost the game, and Dhoni walked out of an international match for the last time, his career-ending the same way it began, with a run-out. 

Dhoni’s uphill battle for success is well documented in his biopic – M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story. His greatness is even more exceptional because of the setbacks he faced. The 39-year-old Dhoni walks away from international cricket as a trophy collector after entering 16 years ago as just a ticket collector.