Happy Birthday MS Dhoni! As India's Captain Cool Turns 34, We Tell You 7 Reasons Why Every Cricket Fan Loves Him

Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him. India cricket team's most successful skipper till date, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, turns 34 today.

Reuters

So we decided to celebrate the occasion by declaring our love for the 'Captain Cool' of the Men In Blue and justify it with seven honest cricketing reasons.

Check them out!

#1 Dhoni has won it all in ODIs

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MS Dhoni is the true king of ODI cricket. He won the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007, the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013. He is the only captain in cricketing history to have won all three major ICC tournaments. No other captain has come close.

#2 Dhoni is the Greatest ODI finisher of all time

Following their victory in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup league match against Zimbabwe in Auckland, Dhoni continued his penchant for getting India over the line. Since his arrival in the Indian team, India have chased 141 times, with 82 victories. Dhoni's average while chasing stands at a staggering 109.19.

#3 MSD and his love for Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be haunted by Dhoni's expertise for a long time.

Against both these nations, Dhoni has dished out plenty of punishment. Be it the 183 in Jaipur, the 2011 World Cup final or be it 15 runs in the final over to win the tri-series in West Indies, Dhoni has hurt Sri Lanka immensely.

Against Pakistan, be it his first major ODI and Test knock of 148 or his record seventh wicket stand of 125 with Ashwin after India were 29 for 5, Dhoni has hurt both these countries immensely and they will heave a sigh of relief when he goes.

#4 When injured, Dhoni becomes even more dangerous

In the tri-series final against Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, India are staring down the barrel. Chasing 202, India are 182 for 9 and Dhoni is restricted with a hamstring problem. He bides his time and the equation boils down to 15 runs in the final over.

Dhoni misses the first ball bowled by Shaminda Eranga but his next three balls disappear for six, four and six. In the space of three balls, he converted the tough equation into a simple one. This method of batting by Dhoni at the death gives the world the blueprint of how to bat towards the end.

#5 Dhoni loves to take risks

Dhoni's captaincy has always been punctuated with risks. Some have dismissed it as luck but others have labelled it as spectacular. His move to give Joginder Sharma the final over in the final against Pakistan in the 2007 World Twenty20 is still talked about as a great piece of captaincy.

His decision to go up the order and give India victory in the game against Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup is considered a master-stroke. Last but not the least, his ploy of giving Ishant Sharma an over after he proved to be expensive in the Champions Trophy final in England in 2013 was considered a stroke of genius. Whenever he has taken a risk, India have won on the big stage.

#6 Dhoni and his attitude of finishing the match with a six

What connects the World Cup win of 2011 and the tri-series win of 2013? What also connects many matches, IPL and international, that the team have won with Dhoni at the crease towards the end? They have all ended with a six.

The iconic shot of Dhoni lofting the ball into the stands at long-on in the 2011 World Cup will remain etched in every cricket fans' memory for years to come. When the world remembers Dhoni, they will always remember this quality of sealing the deal with a six

#7 Dhoni shatters Test records for India

For 50 years, Budhi Kunderan's score of 192 was the highest inpidual score by an Indian wicketkeeper in Tests. However, Dhoni changed all that on February 2013 when he blasted 224 against Australia in Chennai

His knock easily became the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper and second-best in the world, behind Andy Flower's 232. His efforts changed a dire situation into an advantage and Australia never recovered. After winning the Chennai Test, India went on to whitewash Australia 4-0, the first time that they achieved this scoreline. This was all due to Dhoni's knockout blow in the first Test

Do you agree with our reasons or do you have your own? Let us know @indiatimes!