Under Dhoni's leadership, the Indian Test team held the top spot in the ICC rankings for an uninterrupted stretch of 18 months, a feat that underlined his ability to marshal talent across formats. Just last month, the International Cricket Council formally recognised his extraordinary impact by inducting him into the ICC Hall of Fame
MS Dhoni cuts his birthday cake and shares slices with friends (Photo: Screengrab/@WorshipDhoni/X)
Legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni, the only captain in the history of international cricket to have lifted the ODI World Cup, the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, celebrated his 44th birthday on Monday.
A video from the private celebration, showing Dhoni in a casual sleeveless T-shirt, cutting his birthday cake and sharing slices with friends, went viral.
MS Dhoni celebrating his 44th Birthday 😍❤️ pic.twitter.com/SYVATE9FUG
— ' (@WorshipDhoni) July 7, 2025
Dhoni’s legacy goes far beyond the silverware. Under his leadership, the Indian Test team held the top spot in the ICC rankings for an uninterrupted stretch of 18 months, a feat that underlined his ability to marshal talent across formats. Just last month, the International Cricket Council formally recognised his extraordinary impact by inducting him into the ICC Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
Although Dhoni stepped away from international cricket nearly five years ago, he remains a central figure in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings. Despite battling a persistent knee issue, he continues to command enormous fan support, with stadiums across India packed to capacity wherever he plays during the two-month tournament.
This year, Dhoni was thrust back into a leadership role after regular CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was sidelined by an elbow injury. The 44-year-old led a somewhat unsettled squad with typical composure, steering them to a series of morale-boosting wins in the latter half of the season.
Time and injury have inevitably dulled some of Dhoni’s once-feared hitting power. Often batting as low as No.8, he still managed to draw raucous cheers simply by walking out to the middle, underscoring the deep affection fans hold for him.
Under Dhoni’s captaincy, CSK have secured all five of their IPL titles, and the franchise continues to harbour hopes of seeing their beloved ‘Thala’, meaning ‘leader’ in Tamil, return for the 2026 edition.
Dhoni, however, made no such promise.
"It depends. Again, I would say the same thing (that) I have four-five months to decide, there's no hurry to decide what needs to be done," Dhoni said.
"Every year, it's 15 per cent more effort to keep the body fit ¿ not to forget this is top-level cricket.
"It's professional cricket, you have to be at your best and it's not always performance that you can count, because if cricketers start retiring because of performance then a few of them will retire when they're 22."
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