What comes to your mind when someone speaks about MS Dhoni? Successful captain. Best Finisher. Finest wicketkeeper.
Well, these traits show how good a cricketer he was. But he’s more than that. The Captain Cool racked up some incredible records on his way to establishing a stellar career.
And this article will list some of Dhoni’s impressive records achieved in international cricket.
Only Captain to Win All ICC White-Ball Trophies
MS Dhoni’s captaincy was second to none. As a result, India experienced a golden run under his captaincy in ICC tournaments.
He captained India to title victories in all ICC white-ball tournaments. Dhoni remains the only skipper to win the T20 World Cup (2007), ODI World Cup (2011), and Champions Trophy (2013).
Most International Matches as Captain
Dhoni’s captaincy wasn’t limited to ICC tournaments. He donned the captaincy hat in 332 international matches, the most by a skipper. He led India in 60 Tests, 200 ODIs, and 72 T20Is.
Most International Matches as Wicketkeeper-Captain
MS Dhoni was the wicketkeeper-captain in all 332 matches. This is the most international matches by a captain who kept wickets.
The Captain Cool also holds the record in each of the three formats. He is the only keeper-captain to lead in 50-plus matches in each format.
Second-Most Wins as Captain in International Cricket
In 332 matches, he returned with 179 victories, the second most as a skipper. He is only behind Ricky Ponting’s record of 220 wins across formats.
10,000 Runs as Captain Across Formats
While MS Dhoni was a great player-manager, he also led from the front with the bat. He is among the six skippers who scored 10,000-plus runs in international cricket.
His run tally of 11,207 is the fifth highest for a captain across formats. 3454 of those runs came in Tests, 6641 in ODIs, and 1112 in T20Is.
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Second-Most Runs as Wicketkeeper in All Formats
The Ranchi-born player also aggregated the second-most runs as a wicketkeeper. He was pretty close to the top spot but fell short by 574 runs.
Dhoni scored 17,266 runs in 526 innings as a keeper-batter, behind Kumar Sangakkara’s 17,840 runs. He also scored the second-most runs as a keeper in ODIs.
MSD amassed 10,773 runs as a wicketkeeper in 50-over cricket. He added 4876 runs in Tests and 1617 runs in T20Is.
Highest Individual Score as Wicketkeeper-Captain in Tests
In 2013, MS Dhoni racked up the highest individual score as a keeper-captain in Tests. Leading from the front, the right-hander hammered a 224-run knock against Australia in Chennai. He was the first keeper-captain to score 200 in a Test innings.
Highest Individual Score as Wicketkeeper in ODIs
Dhoni also recorded the highest individual score as a wicketkeeper in ODIs. This happened in his early days in international cricket.
MSD batted at No. 3 and brought up an unbeaten 183-run knock in a successful chase of 299 against Sri Lanka in Jaipur in 2005.
Also Read | The Ten Greatest Wicketkeepers of All Time in Cricket
Third-Most Wicketkeeping Dismissals Across Formats
Dhoni was an excellent keeper behind the wickets. And no wonder he made the third-most dismissals as a wicketkeeper across formats.
He trails Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist with 829 keeping dismissals, which included 634 catches and 195 stumpings. MSD is also among the top five wicketkeepers with the most dismissals in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, respectively.
Most Stumpings in International Cricket
Dhoni’s 195 stumpings are also the most by a wicketkeeper in international cricket. He also made the most stumpings in ODIs (123) and T20Is (34). And his 38 stumpings in Tests are the joint third most in the format.
Fastest Stumping as Wicketkeeper
One of MS Dhoni’s stumpings is the quickest by a wicketkeeper in international cricket. He showed his quick reflexes behind the stumps in a 2018 ODI against the West Indies.
Dhoni needed 0.08 seconds to whip the bails off Ravindra Jadeja’s delivery. That’s some quick reaction time! Keemo Paul was the unfortunate batter who didn’t get any time to return inside the crease.
Fastest to Reach No. 1 in ICC ODI Batting Rankings
While MS Dhoni didn’t get a lot of opportunities to bat towards the fag end, he was a clean striker of the ball in his early days.
And despite moving up and down the batting order, he managed to steal the No. 1 spot in the ICC ODI Batting Rankings. Dhoni needed 38 innings to claim the pole position. This is the fewest innings taken by a batter to reach the No. 1 ranking in ODIs.
First Indian Batter to Hit 200 Sixes in ODIs
Dhoni’s batting brilliance in ODIs can be gauged through his six-hitting. He was the first-ever Indian batter to smash 200 maximums in 50-over cricket. He finished his career with 229 sixes in 297 innings.
Most Not Outs in ODIs
Dhoni’s love affair with ODIs wasn’t limited to big sixes. He also remained unbeaten the most times among all batters in the format.
He was not out in 84 innings out of the 297 he batted in. No batter managed to be not out more than 80 times.
Most Runs at No. 6 or Below in International Cricket
Dhoni’s batting mastery was on display across formats. He embraced the finisher role like a pro.
So he batted mostly at No. 6 or below and aggregated 10628 runs in 349 international games. Dhoni’s tally is the highest by a batter while batting at No. 6 or below. In fact, he remains the only one to score 10,000-plus runs.
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