Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the most well-known cricket players both in India and all over the world. He is a retired Indian international cricket player who captained the Indian national team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2017 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. As such a popular and important public figure, fans are sure to want to know more about him and his life. Read on to learn some exciting facts about Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
- Before starting cricket, MS Dhoni had a keen interest in the sport of football and badminton. He was an excellent goalkeeper. He played both the sports at a district and club level. His football coach, Keshav Bannerjee, was the person that turned him on to the sport of cricket.
- Dhoni was a Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur railway station from 2001 to 2003, under South Eastern Railway in Midnapore.
- The East Zone team rejected MS Dhoni because of his unconventional playing style.
- Dhoni has a deep appreciation for motorbikes, which started at a young age. He is well known for his large collection of motorbikes, which include Yamaha RD350, Harley Davidson Fatboy, Ducati 1098, Kawasaki Ninja H2 and the rare Confederate Hellcat X132.
- He co-owns India’s first World Superbike Team along with the South Indian actor, Akkineni Nagarjuna.
- He is one of the highest in One Day Internationals, having scored over 10,000 runs and is also the first wicket keeper to effect 100 stumpings in ODI cricket.
- Dhoni made his ODI debut on 23 December 2004 against Bangladesh, and played his first Test a year later against Sri Lanka.
- He has also received numerous notable awards like the Padma Shri and the Padma Bushan.
- In 2016, Dhoni launched the lifestyle brand, SEVEN, for which he is the brand ambassador.
- Dhoni retired from Test cricket in December 2014, by which point he had scored 4876 in 90 matches.
- He met his wife, Sakshi Dhoni at a match against Pakisthan in Kolkata.
- He is one of the only two cricketers, along with Kapil Dev, to earn the honourary title of ‘Luitenant Colonel’ by the Inidian Territorial Army.
- His signature move, called the ‘helicopter shot’ was taught to him by his friend and former teammate, Santosh Lal.
- He is the only captain in the world to win all three ICC trophies- 2007 World T20, 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.