Today, India boasts of a plethora of players that come from the lesser-known cricketing centers. The game has flourished in the rural areas and as a result we see the likes of Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina and Munaf Patel taking up important roles in Indian cricket. But one such name has stood out – MSD. Coming from a small state in India (Jharkhand), this debonair young man has made it big in the world of international cricket. Dhoni played Ranji Trophy, first, for Bihar and then Jharkhand. It was heartening to see a young talent emanate from a team which often failed to play any more matches than allotted to them by default thus his effort in making it to the top is laudable.

Dhoni made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 1999-2000 season. He was selected in the India A team for the tour of Kenya in 2004 and a splendid performance behind the stumps and two dazzling centuries against Pakistan A earned him a place in the Indian side. He made his ODI debut against Bangladesh at Chittagong on 23rd December 2004. In only his fifth one-day international match, against Pakistan at Vishakhapatnam, he cracked a virtuoso performance - making 148 of only 123 balls, thus announcing his arrival on the ‘big scene’. ‘Mahi’ is an extremely strong bottom handed player with equally strong wrists. He can ‘whip’ to ball off his wrists for a huge six on either side of the ground. Although he might favour the leg-side a bit, his shot over extra cover or straight behind the bowler, extending his wrists is special. The best part about Mahi’s batting is that he is always trying to play straight. His bat might come down from the ‘fourth slip’ or perhaps even ‘point’ but when the ball meets the bat, more often than not it produces that ‘sweet sound’ which every batsman wants to hear time and time again. His batting might not have the panache of the Tendulkars and the Laras or the exquisiteness exuded by the Dravids and the Pontings. The pedagogues and the connoisseurs of the game might also call him the ‘Poor Man’s Tendulkar’ but when it comes to efficacy, he is right up there.

Dhoni boasts of several distinctions. At one point he had the distinction of being the only Indian cricketer to have played more than 20 innings and score at an average of more than 50, that too, at a strike rate of more than 100. Dhoni scored a colossal 183* against Sri Lanka at Jaipur to reiterate that his hundred against Pakistan was not a solitary stroke of good fortune. In fact that innings enabled him to set a glut of new records. He became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score two hundreds on Indian soil. He surpassed Adam Gilchrist’s record to score the highest individual score by a wicket-keeper. He also became the batsman making the most number of runs ‘chasing’ and the batsman to score the maximum runs in an innings batting at number three. It was astonishing. Dhoni batted with such command and dominance that he made the Sri Lankan trundlers look pedestrian. He scored a mammoth 120 runs only in boundaries and sixes! (10 sixes and 15 fours), thus setting another record. He topped the list of the Indian batsmen to hit maximum sixes in an innings too! Mahi often ends the match with a huge ‘winning’ six. It speaks volumes of his confidence and belief in his ability.

In April 2006 MS Dhoni topped ICC’s ODI Batting Rankings. He is unpretentious and gifted. His ‘long hair’ has made as much news as his cricketing abilities and his liaison with the ‘mean machines’ contributes to his charisma. India has found a new superstar. He is an enthralling and a majestic talent to be reckoned with for the future.

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