OTD MS Dhoni was born in 1981

July 7 marks the birth of India’s most successful captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Born in 1981 in Ranchi, Jharkhand, Dhoni has made a big impact in Indian cricket.

Initially, more focused on football, his school coach spotted his wicketkeeping talent and encouraged him toward cricket. After a long wait despite strong domestic performances, it was in 2004 that then-India captain Sourav Ganguly gave him a chance in the ODI series against Bangladesh. Though he suffered a disappointing start, his 148-run heroics against Pakistan in Visakhapatnam soon made him everyone’s favourite.

In no time, Dhoni went on to take up captaincy and became one of the greatest leaders. Under Dhoni, India won the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, followed by the historic 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup at home, ending with his historic match-winning six in the final. Two years later, he added the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy to his cabinet, becoming the only captain in cricket history to win all three major ICC limited-overs titles. His trophy cabinet also includes the 2010 and 2016 Asia Cups, and the 2008 CB Series in Australia.

Dhoni scored 10,773 ODI runs at an average of 50.57, with 10 centuries and 73 fifties. In Tests, he became the first Indian wicketkeeper to cross 4000 runs and led India to the No. 1 Test ranking in 2009. In 2020, Dhoni retired from international cricket but continued playing in the IPL, where he led Chennai Super Kings to five titles.

Even at 43, Dhoni played IPL 2025 as an uncapped player and hinted at a possible farewell, saying he would return to Ranchi to think about his future. On June 9, 2025, Dhoni was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, the 11th Indian to receive the honour. He has serves as an honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army.