MS Dhoni shares UNTOLD story behind becoming Team India captain despite big names in the team

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the most loved and successful cricketers of all time, became Team India's captain back in 2007 for the first time. This was the time when Men in Blue were eliminated from the 2007 ODI World Cup in the West Indies in the league stage. The Indian team participated in the ICC Tournament under the captainship of legendary player Rahul Dravid, following which BCCI decided to look for a young player to lead the team in the inaugural T20 World Cup. It was none other than MSD.

The decision became one of the hot topics back then as MSD was chosen over some established names like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Virendra Sehwag. In 2017, during a chat with The Print, Dhoni revealed why he was made Team India's skipper.

''That is again a very difficult one because a lot of senior players would have supported me. I was not part of the conversation when I was made captain of the team. I feel that looking at everything, maybe it was the honesty that I had and my ability to read the game,'' he said.

 

 

 

 

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Revealing about his relationship with other senior players in the squad, he added, ''Reading the game is very important, and even though I was one of the youngest in the team at that point of time - when asked about my views by a senior player - I was not afraid or hesitant to share my feelings about the game. It probably also had to do with the fact that I was quite good with the other team members in the squad at that point of time.''

MS Dhoni's illustrious career

Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, Team India has lifted several ICC trophies including the 2007 T20 World Cup, the 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013  Champions Trophy. On the stats front, MSD has led Team India in 332 matches across all formats, out of which Men in Blue won 178 games. In his career, Dhoni has scored over 10,000 runs in ODIs and nearly 5,000 runs in Tests.

Apart from international cricket, Dhoni has also led Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings in several seasons and lifting the cup on multiple occasions.