#HappyBirthdayDhoni: Here're some interesting facts about Captain Cool
What's the story
India's greatest wicket-keeper batsman MS Dhoni turned 38 on Sunday. With an illustrious career that has spanned over 15 years, Dhoni has achieved almost everything in the world cricket, both as a player and a captain. As he continues to serve the nation in the ongoing ICC World Cup, we take a look at some of interesting facts about him.
Debut
Out for a duck in debut match
There is an old saying that every great story has a sad beginning. Dhoni too underwent the same the day he made his debut for Team India. December 23, 2004, was not as memorable as he was dismissed for an unfortunate duck, that too without even playing a single ball. Not an ideal debut, but we all know what followed thereafter.
Ranji debut
Made his Ranji Trophy debut as 18-year-old
Prior to his international debut, he made a name for himself in the domestic circuit. While he now plays for Jharkhand, prior to its partition, he used to play for Bihar. He made his Ranji Trophy debut for them during the 1999-2000 season. Interestingly, he was just 18 years old back then. Till date, he has played 131 First-class matches and scored 7,038 runs.
Football
He played football prior to taking up cricket
While Dhoni might be one of the greatest cricketers in the world, it would have not been the case had he decided to pursue his first choice of sport. Prior to taking up cricket, Dhoni was an avid fan of football and used to play the sport in his school. Being a goal-keeper caught the eyes of his coach, who lured him to cricket.
Helicopter Shot
Dhoni did not invent the 'Helicopter Shot'
One of the charismatic things about Dhoni's batting is his trademark shot, known as the 'Helicopter Shot'. While Dhoni was the first guy to play the shot in international cricket and name it, he isn't the guy who invented it. The shot was taught to him by a former Jharkhand cricketer Santosh Lal. Dhoni, later, mastered the shot and played it with utmost perfection.
Lieutenant Colonel
Dhoni holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel with Indian Army
Dhoni's performance in cricket has led to a number of accolades outside the game as well. However, his most prestigious accolade outside cricket was when Indian Territorial Army conferred him with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel on November 2011. As a result, he became only the second Indian cricketer after Kapil Dev to receive this honor. Interestingly, both are World Cup winning skippers.