Over the past decade, if there is one man in Indian cricket who has turned a bunch of talented youngsters into winners, it has to be Mahendra Singh Dhoni. People might argue that current skipper Virat Kohli has taken the Indian team to new heights of glory in all the three formats, but if one goes back to the start of 2010, it comes to the fore how Dhoni sowed the seeds of which Kohli is now reaping the rewards.
Dhoni took over as captain of Team India when it was in dire need of a young, enthusiastic leader. After their horrendous outing at the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, what the Men in Blue needed was the infusion of fresh blood and that started what would over the next 12 years go on to be called the Dhoni era.
The wicketkeeper-batsman immediately showed his leadership skills as he led the young Indian brigade -- against all odds -- to the World T20 title in its maiden edition. There was no looking back from there on as he performed exceptionally well, both with the bat and behind the wickets, before being eventually handed the captain's baton in all the three formats.
In the 2011 World Cup which was played in the sub-continent, the Dhoni-led unit was seen as "favorites" and boy, they played like one.
"Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lift the World Cup after 28 years!" this line from Ravi Shastri after Dhoni hit the winning six off Sri Lanka pacer Nuwan Kulasekara in the final of the 2011 World Cup still reverberates in the ears of millions of Indians.
With that six, Dhoni had fulfilled the long-cherished dreams of Tendulkar, who had all the batting records to his name but the World Cup trophy was missing from his cabinet.
In 2013, the wicketkeeper-batsman led India to the Champions Trophy, thus making Dhoni the first and only captain in international cricket to win all the ICC trophies. It was a phase when Indian cricket boomed in all aspects. Dhoni stepped down as captain of India in the limited-over formats in January 2017, just ahead of the ODI series at home against England and passed on the baton to Kohli.
In April this year, he was named in India's squad for the 2019 World Cup where he played his 350th ODI in the semi-final against New Zealand where the Men in Blue suffered a heart-wrenching exit.
The dasher from Ranchi, who made his debut against Bangladesh under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy in 2004, has turned up for the country till now in 350 ODIs, 90 Tests and 98 T20Is while affecting a staggering 829 dismissals behind the stumps.
While the decision to bid adieu to the game rests entirely with Dhoni, his fans would really like him to play for India in next year's World T20 and help Virat Kohli lift the trophy.
