ICC Hall of Fame: Legend MS Dhoni joins these veterans
What's the story
Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been inducted into the prestigious International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame.
The global cricket body made the announcement on June 9.
Other veteran players to enter this year's batch are Graeme Smith (South Africa), Hashim Amla (South Africa), Daniel Vettori (New Zealand), and Matthew Hayden (Australia).
Here are further details.
Career highlights
A look at Dhoni's international career
Dhoni's international cricket career spanned from December 2004 to July 2019.
The 43-year-old, who changed the face of international cricket, would be remembered as the greatest finisher of all time.
Having played 350 ODIs for India, he amassed 10,773 runs at an average of 50.57. He slammed 10 centuries and 73 half-centuries.
Dhoni featured in 98 T20Is, scoring 1,617 runs at 37.60, including two half-centuries.
He retired from Tests in 2014 after playing 90 matches.
Personal response
'Honor to be named in ICC Hall of Fame'
Reacting to the honor, Dhoni said, "It is an honor to be named in the ICC Hall of Fame, which recognizes the contributions of cricketers across generations and from all over the world."
He added that having his name remembered alongside such all-time greats was a wonderful feeling. "It is something that I will cherish forever," he said.
Official recognition
ICC's official statement on Dhoni's induction
The ICC also released a statement on Dhoni's induction.
It said, "Celebrated for his calm under pressure and unmatched tactical nous, but also a trailblazer in the shorter formats, MS Dhoni's legacy as one of the game's greatest finishers, leaders and wicketkeepers has been honored with his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame."
Trophies
Three ICC titles as captain
It was under Dhoni's captaincy India managed to win the first-ever T20 World Cup in 2007.
He then guided India to their second ODI World Cup title in 2011 at home, as he finished off with a six.
He also helped India win the ICC Champions Trophy (2013).
In 2009, under his leadership, India became the number one Test team for the first time.
Notably, Dhoni remains the only captain to win all three ICC white-ball titles.
Wicket-keeping
Miles ahead of other Indian wicket-keepers
Dhoni has 829 wicket-keeping dismissals to his name, the highest among Indians in international cricket.
The next-best Indian wicket-keeper on this tally is Nayan Mongia, with 261 dismissals. His last international appearance was in 2001.
Furthermore, Dhoni has affected the highest number of stumpings across formats (195).
He also holds the record of producing the fastest-ever stumping in an international fixture (0.08 seconds).
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Dhoni smashed over 17,000 international runs. He batted mostly in the lower middle order. Over five years after playing his last international, Dhoni still remains the only cricketer to touch the 10,000-run mark batting at Number 6 or below across formats.
Other Indians
Other Indians in ICC Hall of Fame
Apart from Dhoni, 10 other Indian players are part of the ICC Hall of Fame.
Neetu David, Virender Sehwag , Diane Edulji, Vinod Mankad, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Kapil Dev, Bishan Singh Bedi, and Sunil Gavaskar have received this honor from India.
Notably, Gavaskar and Bishan Singh Bedi are the oldest players from India to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. They received this honour in 2009.