There was a time when the very idea of an Indian cricketer rivalling Sachin Tendulkar in the popularity stakes bordered on the preposterous. But the advent of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his meteoric rise through the ranks did just that, with a new generation transfixed by a small-town boy whose personality and background couldn't have been more different from that of Tendulkar.

Few had heard of him as a 23-year-old when he savaged a Pakistan A side in Nairobi. There had been the odd excited whispers from those who watched his big-hitting exploits in Kolkata club cricket, but hardly anyone expected that he would be playing for India within months of that Kenyan safari. In his fifth game, he lashed a matchwinning 148 against Pakistan and later in the year, he clubbed 183 against Sri Lanka. Such was the impact of his strokeplay that a far-from-polished wicketkeeping technique was almost ignored as he was fast-tracked into the Test side.

Within two years of that, he was leading an inexperienced team to glory in the inaugural World Twenty20, and winning the last tri-series to be held in Australia. When Anil Kumble handed over the Test reins in 2008, he celebrated with a home victory against Australia. And in 2011 came the biggest triumph of all, the World Cup, on the back of an exceptional batting performance in the final and bold leadership throughout from Dhoni. Apart from wins in world tournaments, his leadership also oversaw India's rise to the pinnacle of the Test ladder, and a massively successful three years for the Chennai Super Kings franchise that did well in each of the first three seasons of the IPL before winning the event in 2010, and going a step further to claim the Champions League in the same year. However, the fickle nature of fame and glory hit him hard laster that year, when India lost seven consecutive Tests overseas, to England and Australia, bringing into sharp focus his performance as batsman and captain.

Off the field, his Samson mane and fondness for fast bikes marked him down as Mr Cool, and though the haircut eventually became short-back-and-sides, the cool quotient never wavered. He was seldom flustered on the field either, batting and leading the side with poise and assuredness. Not for him the sustained harangue or the bloody oath.

He fine-tuned his game too, becoming a safe keeper, but his batting, while completed suited to the shorter forms of the game, was exposed in Tests in overseas conditions. The scythe over midwicket, even to yorker-length deliveries, drove bowlers to distraction in the 50-over game, but his lack of footwork and defensive technique meant Test runs in England and Australia were hard to find.

He remains the advertiser's dream and a poster boy for modern-day India, but off the field, Dhoni has seldom courted attention or publicity. Even his wedding was a low-key family affair, and he remains content to make the big statements out on the field.
Dileep Premachandran

• August 16 and 19, 2004
  An "A" tour
  • Scores consecutive centuries against Pakistan A, which guide India A into the final of the triangular tournament. Is named Man of the Series.
    
• December 23, Chittagong
  An uncharacteristic start
  • At 23, makes his ODI debut in Chittagong, and is run out for a duck. Finishes the three-match series with 19 runs.
    
• February 8, 2005
  Missing Test selection
  • Smashes an unbeaten 102 off 96 balls for India Seniors against India B in the Challenger Series. However, Dinesh Karthik is picked to keep wicket for the forthcoming Test series against Pakistan.
    
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• April 5, 2005
  Hello, India
  • Picked for the home ODI series against Pakistan, captures the imagination of the country by plundering 148 off 123 balls at No. 3 in only his fifth ODI innings. This is the first one-day century by an Indian wicketkeeper - barring Rahul Dravid. India pile up a mammoth 356, and take a 2-0 lead in the series.
    
• October 31, 2005
  Double the fun
  • Having established himself in the one-day side, shatters records by smashing 183 not out off 145 balls with 15 fours and 10 sixes in Jaipur, as India successfully chase Sri Lanka's 298. It is the highest ODI score by a wicketkeeper, and spurs India to a 3-0 series lead. Is adjudged Man of the Series after India beat Sri Lanka 6-1.
    
• December 2, 2005
  Tests, here I come
  • Makes his Test debut in Chennai, and scores 30 in a rain-ruined match against Sri Lanka.
    
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• December 12, 2005
  Early to rise
  • Scores his maiden Test half-century - 51 off 51 balls - in the second innings of the Delhi Test against Sri Lanka, and adds unbeaten 104 runs for the seventh wicket with Yuvraj Singh, a partnership that puts the Test beyond Sri Lanka's reach.
    
• January 23-24, 2006
  Have shots, will play
  • First Test century. At 281 for 5 in reply to Pakistan's 588 in Faisalabad, India are facing a charged-up Shoaib Akhtar and a follow-on looms large. Plays an array of memorable hooks, and blitzes his way to 148 off 153 balls, and gives India a 15-run lead.
    
• February 6, 13, 19, 2006
  Finishing moves
  • Continues his excellent ODI form in Pakistan, and develops a reputation of a finisher, scoring 68 off 53 balls, 72 off 46 balls, and 77 off 56 in the five-match series in Pakistan, which India win 4-1.
    
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• April 20, 2006
  At the top of the world
  • With an average over 52 after 42 matches, at a strike-rate of 103, displaces Ricky Ponting as the No. 1 batsman in the ICC ODI rankings.
    
• May 10, 2007
  Winning on one leg
  • Battles cramps and saves India further ODI embarrassment after the World Cup. Chasing Bangladesh's 250 in Mirpur, India are in a disarray at 63 for 3, but he steers them home with 91 off 106 balls.
    
• July 23, 2007
  Serene saviour
  • Saves the Lord's Test with a dour innings by his standards. Chasing a target of 380 in the first Test, India are 145 for 5 with the best part of the final day remaining. Shelves his cavalier approach, rides his luck, bats for over three hours, and faces 159 balls for his 76 not out. Manages to hang on until rain forces a premature end to the Test with India on 282 for 9. India go on to win the three-Test series 1-0.
    
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• August 7, 2007
  One who will
  • Is named India's captain for the ICC World Twenty20, after Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly have opted out of the competition.
    
• September 18, 2007
  Natural progression
  • Following Rahul Dravid's resignation as captain, is chosen to lead India's ODI side.
    
• September 24, 2007
  Sensational in South Africa
  • No-one gives India a chance, but leads the to the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 title. His captaincy comes in for plenty of praise.
    
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• February-March, 2008
  His own man
  • Comes in for criticism for bold non-selections of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid for the CB Series. Is vindicated as India go on to win the Australian triangular event for the first time, beating Australia 2-0 in the final series.
    
• April 11-13, 2008
  Test captain
  • In Anil Kumble's absence, captains in Tests for the first time, and India beat South Africa in three days on a Kanpur minefield to level the series 1-1.
    
• December 6, 2009
  On top of the Test world
  • India beat Sri Lanka in Mumbai to win the series 2-0 and take over as the No.1 Test team for the first time. Dhoni the captain also enjoys his time as batsman, scoring two centuries in three innings in the series.
    
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• April 2, 2011
  World Cup comes home
  • India become the first host nation to win the World Cup, as Dhoni leads his team to a magnificent triumph, beating Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in consecutive knockout matches. Dhoni shows the way with the bat too, scoring a supremely composed unbeaten 91 in a difficult run-chase in the final.
    
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• 148 v Pakistan, Visakhapatman, 2004-05
  • Dhoni is playing his fifth ODI and walks in at No. 3 after Sachin Tendulkar has fallen in the fourth over. The pitch is flat, and Dhoni cashes in in a spectacular manner. He scores his maiden ODI century, 148 off 123 balls with 15 fours and four sixes, and by the time he's done Virender Sehwag's 74 off 40 balls has been overshadowed. It is the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper - barring Rahul Dravid - and by the time Dhoni is out, India are 289 for 4 in the 42nd over.
    
• 183 v Sri Lanka, Jaipur, 2005-06
  • Sri Lanka set India a formidable 299 to win, and India lose Tendulkar in the first over. But Dhoni, promoted to No. 3, plunders 183 off 145 balls, and takes India to victory with 23 balls to spare. His innings includes 15 fours and 10 sixes, and it is the highest score by a wicketkeeper, the highest individual score batting second, and it has the highest number of runs scored in boundaries at the time.
    
• 148 v Pakistan, Faisalabad 2005-06
  • After Pakistan have scored 588 in the first innings, India are in danger of conceding a massive first-innings lead after losing their top five for 281. Dhoni disregards the match situation, matched fire with fire, and what follows is a breathless knock that kills any chances of a result in the Test. A fired-up Shoaib Akhtar steams in and peppers Dhoni with a barrage of short balls, but Dhoni responds with a thrilling counterattack, hooking and pulling with aggression that almost approaches recklessness. He hits four sixes and 19 fours in his innings for 148, which take him only 153 balls. By the time he is out, India trail by only 97 runs.
    
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• 76 v England at Lord's, 2007
  • This is perhaps Dhoni's most valuable innings, for it helps India avoid impending defeat and provides the turnaround for a historic series victory in England. He has played an atrocious shot to get out for a duck in the first innings, and is the last of India's recognised batsmen, when at 145 for 5 India need to bat for more than two sessions to save the Test. He adds 86 for the sixth wicket with VVS Laxman who gets out with India on 231 for 6. Dhoni rides his luck, survives several edges and bats for 159 balls for his 76. He keeps losing partners, but manages to hang on with Sreesanth, the No 11, until the rain, which has threatened to arrive all day, finally does and ends the Test.
    
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