New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD), the legendary cricketer & former Team India skipper is celebrating his 42nd birthday today. In his about two decades of cricketing career, the right-hand batsman always led from the front and left an awe-inspiring legacy behind him. The young boy from Ranchi started off at 23 years of age against Bangladesh in December 2004 and over the years, went on become one of the ‘cricketing greats’ in the sports fraternity. Titles & awards aside, MSD has been a man of principles and someone who didn’t believe in conforming to set patterns. His non-conformist decisions, many a times, left his fans as well as the cricketing fraternity puzzled & startled but that didn’t deter him from pursuing his ambitions & goals. A look at Dhoni’s unexpected decisions Dhoni earned the title of ‘Captain Cool’ owing to his balanced & composed posture in the field. 1) T20 World Cup final, 2007 However, in the inaugural T20 World Cup final, when he brought inexperienced Joginder Singh to bowl the most crucial last over, it left everyone shocked & puzzled. However, it turned out to be instrumental in making India winner. A decision which could been a disaster turned into masterstroke. 2) Got head shaved despite fan frenzy over his long hairs Dhoni always spotted long hairs during initial years. This was one of his attributes that drew a lot of fans towards, rather it was one of high selling points of the cricketer. But, after Team India won the 2011 World Cup, he offered his hairs to a Ranchi temple that he has deep faith in. Dhoni’s long hairs, once a style statement didn’t take away spotlight from him. The ‘balded’ Dhoni was also a hit among fans. 3) Captaincy tribute to Sourav Ganguly While Sourabh Ganguly was playing his farewell match before retirement, Dhoni made an unexpected offer to ‘Dada’ which later couldn’t refuse. He handed over captaincy to Sourav Ganguly, one of India’s most successful captains, in latter’s farewell match and earned the goodwill & good wishes from fans & fraternity alike. 4) Retirement from International cricket Dhoni took retirement from Test cricket in 2014 and hanged up boots from the International ODI cricket in 2020. However, both of these decisions came out of the blue. His cricket colleagues & fans were devastated. But more surprising was his sudden retirement from the game, without any pomp & show. 5) ‘Secret’ Marriage with Sakshi Dhoni’s marriage with Sakshi could have been a national event but Mahi did it all amid silence. He tied the knot with Sakshi in 2010 in a private ceremony, without the knowledge of anyone. Fans as well as the media came to know only when the pictures came out.
