Mahendra Singh Dhoni is many things to Indian cricket. The batsman who basically invented the helicopter shot to mature as a master-finisher. The wicket-keeper who made stumpings cool and performed no-look run-outs for fun. The superstar who normalised the fact that superstar cricketers can, indeed, come from any corner of the country.

Years down the line, when a new generation of fans look back at the history of Indian cricket, they will remember Dhoni as the man who led the country to a World T20 title in 2007, a World Cup title in 2011 and lifted the Champions Trophy in 2013. Dhoni is the first and only captain to have achieved that trifecta in the game so far, and that is a record that could also stand for generations to come.

No cricketer has captained India in more international matches than Dhoni (332). No cricketer has won more matches for India as captain in international cricket than Dhoni (178). No other captain in the game has, indeed, won all three major ICC trophies in white-ball cricket. Those numbers tell you the story of how successful and significant Dhoni’s time as Indian captain was. He also boasted an incredible record in tournament finals, winning seven out of 11 times he led India in a knockout match at the end of a multi-team event.

Dhoni was also good with the bat proving time and again how important he was for the Indian team. Captain cool was also known as arguably the best finisher after his 2011 World Cup heroics. Virat Kohli maybe one of the greatest when chasing a big total but when they two tag along, they're nearly invincible.

Dhoni's ability to read situations and man management has also given him the egde over other captains in IPL as well winning 4 titles with CSK.

Dhoni led the Indian team in 60 tests with 27 wins. He led the side during a transition phase where the big four – Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid, and Ganguly had retired. Kohli inherited a solid bowling attack that made it easier for him.