Mahendra Singh Dhoni made his debut on December 23, 2004 against Bangladesh and was run-out for 0 but he established himself as one of the best later.
'Main pal do pal ka shayar, pal do pal meri kahani hai, pal do pal meri hasti hai, pal do pal meri jawani hai' - these lines brought a whole new wave of nostalgia when Mahendra Singh Dhoni used it as his parting words when he retired from international cricket on August 15.
The lyrics of late Mukesh's song 'Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hu' will forever be etched in the minds of fans when he bid adieu to the game at international level.
The only captain to win all three major ICC trophies was at his humble best and made sure to continue the same during his years serving India on the field.
The 39-year-old made sure to give his best not just for India but also for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
While fans expected to see the Thala in action at the 2021 World Cup which will be held in India, but MS Dhoni being MS Dhoni, had already finished off in style once again. December 23 though is a very special day. On this day 16 years ago, MS Dhoni had made his international debut in an ODI against Bangladesh. Although he was run-out for a duck, he would later go on to become one of the greatest captains and wicketkeeper batsman in the modern era.
So on 16 years of Dhoni, let's relive some moments which proved that he was sure 'Captain Cool'.
1. 2007 World T20 final
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The Men in Blue was under new captain MS Dhoni and no one really gave India a chance in a format which was new to them.
Dhoni with his then long hair proved critics wrong with spectacular wins over England, South Africa and Australia. India reached the final and faced arch-rivals Pakistan.
In the nerve-wracking summit clash, it had come down to Pakistan needing 13 runs from the final over. While all thought different, Dhoni did the exact opposite and handed the ball to Joginder Sharma.
Joginder was hit for a six by Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq in the second ball but what happened in the next ball will forever be remembered.
Misbah went for a needless scoop shot over short fine leg but could only manage to find S Sreesanth who took an easy catch. This helped India win by 5 runs in the inaugural ICC World T20.
2. 2011 World Cup final
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From having the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag to Yuvraj Singh’s all-round brilliance, India had reached the final on home soil.
However, while chasing a challenging 275 against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was not easy. India had lost both their iconic openers inside 31 runs.
Gautam Gambhir came out at No 3 and batted brilliantly for his 97 but it was Dhoni’s masterstroke as he came ahead of in-form Yuvraj which did the trick for India.
The Ranchi lad smashed an unforgettable 91 off 79 balls including the winning six off Nuwan Kulasekara in the 49th over to lead India to a second World Cup crown.
3. 2013 Champions Trophy - Making Rohit Sharma opener
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This was the time which according to Rohit Sharma is when Dhoni had helped improve his ODI career by asking him to open in the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.
Since opening the batting, Rohit has scaled new heights and can now be termed as one of the best opening batsmen in the game. In the 2019 World Cup as well, Rohit did not only finish as the highest run-getter but also scored a record five centuries.
Rohit, earlier in 2019, became the fastest to 6,000 runs as an opener in ODI cricket and now has 6,691 runs in 130 innings opening the batting.
4. 2013 Champions Trophy - Handing Ishant Sharma the ball
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This was one defining moment in the rain-affected final of the Champions Trophy in Birmingham. Dhoni had asked Ishant Sharma, who had been expensive before, to bowl the 18th over.
The tall pacer, however, shocked all as he snared two wickets in two balls to break Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara's 64-run stand. This eventually helped India win the game and the coveted trophy.
5. 2016 World T20
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Despite India not ending as champions and losing to West Indies in the semi-finals, it was Dhoni's last ICC event as skipper.
Dhoni was brilliant once again in leading the side and India's one-run win over Bangladesh had a lot of Dhoni moments.
Hardik Pandya had taken three wickets off the last three balls as Bangladesh needed 11 runs in the final over while they were chasing 147 for victory.
Dhoni's unbelievable stumping to remove Sabbir Rahman and his field placements including his run-out off the last ball were the highlights.
