Dhoni – one of the coolest heads to captain the Indian team

Batting Style

Bowling Style

Right-hand Bat

Full Name

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Nationality

Indian

Date of Birth

July 7, 1981

Place of Birth

Ranchi, Bihar, India

Height

5' 11"

Also known as

Mahi

In Hindi language “Mahi” means an adorable lover. Since the first four letters in Dhoni’s first name are “Mahe” and he is also very charming, people foundly call him “Mahi.”

Marital Status

Single

Education

Dhoni did his schooling from DAV school, Ranchi. He went on to study at Gossner College, however, never sat for the examination as he was busy with his cricketing activates.

Profession

Cricketer

Role

Primarily a batsman in the team, he does possess a golden arm while bowling. His offbreaks, legbreaks and medium pace swing have disturbed the best batsmen in the world.

Known for

Hitting big sixes and his confidence and aggression on the field

Fitness

Dhoni owes his fitness to the fact that he is a ‘pahadi’ and hence is naturally fit.

Physiotherapist

Main Coach

Career Highlights
•	Based on his club cricket performances, he was picked for the 1997-98 Vinoo Manked Trophy U-16 Championship.

•	Was run out on the first ball he faced in his debut match.

•	Broke the record of highest runs scored by a wicket keeper by securing 183 runs against Sri Lanka which was played at Jaipur. Adam Gilchrist was the former record holder with 172 runs.

•	Has hit the most number of sixes by an Indian in an innings, and the second highest in ODI cricket, which is a total of 10 sixes.

•	In June 2007, Dhoni(139) and Mahela Jayewardene*(107) set a new world record for the sixth wicket partnership of 218 runs against Africa XI during the Afro-Asia Cup.

•	Holds the records of the most dismissals by an Indian wicketkeeper and joint International (with Adam Gilchrist) with 6 dismissals (5 catches and one stumping) against England.

•	Is the only second Indian to reach 1st position on LG's ICC ODI batting rankings.

•	Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, CB Series of 2007-08 and IDEA Cup India-Sri Lanka ODI Series of 2008, the first ever bilateral ODI series win of India in Sri Lanka and The Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 in which they beat Australia 2-0 thus letting India regain its spot at No.2 in world test rankings.

•	M.S.Dhoni was contracted by the Chennai Super Kings for 1.5 Million USD. This made him the most expensive player in the IPL Auctions.

Off-field Activities
•	Loves listening to music, ghazals, and songs by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar.

•	Loves riding bikes.

•	Believes that his long hair has brought him luck in cricket.

•	To do his bit for his town, he readily agreed to lend his name for the campaign "School Chalein Hum" to be launched by the administration at Ranchi.

•	Drinks a litre of milk everyday. It could be milkshake, hot chocolate or anything.

•	Has two pets -- Sam (German Shepherd) and Zara (black Labrador).

Controversies
•	Dhoni has reportedly offered to resign from his high-profile post following paceman R. P. Singh's exclusion from the ODI team and including Irfan Pathan in his place for the fourth, fifth and sixth ODIs in the 2008 India-England series. According to reports, Dhoni and the Indian selectors had an argument over the same during the selection meet.