Birthday wishes flow for MS Dhoni as he celebrates turning 42

MS Dhoni (Pic: AFP)

During his playing days, July 7 every year would be a happening day for Indian cricket as the cricket fraternity would rise as one to wish MS Dhoni on his birthday. The tradition hasn't quite changed as the little master turned 42 on Friday, setting off an avalanche of wishes on the social media from members of the current Indian team, his erstwhile teammates and of course, the fans.

Leading the chorus was former Indian opener Virender Sehwag. "The Sun God has 7 horses to pull his heavenly chariot. In the Rigveda there are 7 parts of the world, 7 seasons & 7 fortresses 7 basic musical notes 7 pheras in a marriage 7 wonders of the world And on 7th day of 7th month- Birthday of a top man @msdhoni, #HappyBirthdayDhoni," he wrote on Twitter.

Current Indian T20 captain Hardik Pandya never hid his admiration for Dhoni and he too wished him on social media. His post read: "Happy birthday my favourite @msdhoni."

For the most part, however meticulously you inspect MS Dhoni's appearance, if you were not aware about the match situation, you would not ever guess if his side was winning or losing. In any team sport, the players that make up the team take their cue from the leader, supposedly in the past Virat Kohli's occasional bursts of aggression notwithstanding, stemmed from the manner in which Dhoni conducted himself, his serenity extending from the centre outwards and engulfing even the men in the outfield.

Also Read: IN PHOTOS: MS Dhoni's records that will likely never be broken

Will there be someone who shall finish games in style? Will there be someone who shall give India its next Virat Kohli? Or the next ‘Hitman' opener? Will there be someone with a close eye for talents like Jadeja and Ashwin? Or will there be someone with the speed of light behind the stumps? The questions are aplenty. Dhoni's batting style was unabashed, unapologetic and unleashed. Her staggering numbers are testimony to it.

Dhoni is regarded as one of the best finishers in the history of limited-overs cricket. He has played 90 Test matches before abruptly retiring from the format in 2014, scoring 4876 runs with six centuries and 33 fifties at an average of 38.09. His 294 dismissals is the highest in Test cricket by an Indian wicketkeeper and the fifth-highest overall, only behind Mark Boucher, Adam Gilchrist, Ian Healy and Rodney Marsh.

He has amassed 10,773 ODI runs in 350 matches at an average of 50.57 with 10 centuries and 73 half-centuries. Dhoni has featured in 98 T20Is for India, scoring 1617 runs at a strike rate of 126.13 with two half centuries.