
MS Dhoni turns 44: Check out top achievements of former India captain
9 Photos . Updated: 07 Jul 2025, 11:01 AM IST
Share Via
Former India captain MS Dhoni has turned 44 today. The veteran batter had led India to multiple ICC trophies while also raising the team to the number 1 Test rankings during his tenure as the captain.
1/9Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni turns 44 today. (PTI)
2/9Dhoni was born on 7 July, 1981 in Ranchi, Jharkhand. He intially was a football goabkeeper but later developed wicket keeping skills during the school days.
3/9Dhoni rose through the ranks of local cricket clubs and played his first Ranji Trophy match in 1999. (PTI)
4/9Dhoni made his ODI debut for India in 2004 against Bangladesh. He later made his mark with a 148 run knock in his fifth ODI match against Pakistan. The batter later also made his Test debut in 2005.
5/9Dhoni was made the India captain in 2007 and he led a young team to victory in the 2007 ODI World Cup.
6/9Dhoni was made India Test captain in 2008 and he led the team to top of ICC Test rankings in 2009. (AFP)
7/9Dhoni went on to lead India to a victory in the 2011 ODI World and 2013 Champions Trophy.
8/9The batter announced his shocking retirement from Test cricket on 20 December, 2014.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Athletes who train under unregistered coaches will not be recommended for national awards: AFI
New Delhi, The Athletics Federation of India will not recommend anyone who trains with unregistered coaches for national honours like the Arjuna and Khel Ratna award, a move that it hopes will help tackle the spiralling doping cases in the sport's national circuit. Athletes who train under unregistered coaches will not be recommended for national awards: AFI The involvement of coaches in doping by track-and-field athletes has been an open secret. The AFI, in recent times, has tried to deal with the matter by launching some initiatives of its own apart from the regular mechanism of vigorous testing and awareness campaigns. Recently, the AFI set a July 31 deadline for mandatory registration of all the coaches qualified and unqualified in the country, making it clear that non compliance of the directive will lead to their blacklisting. "We are hoping that the coaches register themselves. After that, we are going to make it public that only these are the registered coaches. Those who have not registered they will be blacklisted," AFI spokesperson Adille Sumariwalla told PTI. "If an athlete trains with an unregistered coach, the AFI will not recommend the athlete for any national award if he or she wins medals. Such athletes cannot get anything." "I believe coaches, even parents today, are involved in doping. This is unfortunate," said Sumariwalla, a former AFI president. Sumariwalla is a vocal advocate of criminalisation of doping as he feels unless dope offenders are sent to jail, tackling the menace will be difficult. However, the National Anti-Doping Act, 2022 provides no such measures. "I am not in the Parliament, but we have to do something. All those who are involved in doping will have to be sent to jail. Only then people will realise that this is not a joke. If you want to win this fight, you have to take some drastic steps," said Sumariwalla who is also a vice president of World Athletics. "Otherwise within the law, we have to do what we have to do. But today, nothing happens. They just go scot-free or they get four years, then they say, yes, we have taken and make it three years. "All this nonsense has to stop," he said referring to the reduction of the ban period through case resolution agreement by early admission of guilt by the athlete. Alarmed by the rising doping cases among Indian track and field athletes, the AFI, in its AGM in Chandigarh in January, made it compulsory for all coaches to register with it or else they would be blacklisted. Unregistered coaches will not be permitted to impart training to athletes and will not be engaged in any activity of the AFI under any circumstances. Upon successful registration, each coach will be allotted a unique registration number by the AFI and an ID card will be issued. In addition, the AFI has also decided to form an anti-doping cell to identify coaches suspected to be "involved in doping of their wards" and for drawing up a list of training centres which serve as "hideouts" for cheats on the recommendation of a high-powered committee to deal with the menace. The AFI will share this intelligence with the National Anti-Doping Agency and Athletics Integrity Unit established by World Athletics. 'New National Sports Policy is good but implementation key' ===================================== Sumariwalla said the new Khelo Bharat Niti , which got Cabinet approval on July 1, was a well-crafted one with its thrust of accountable and clean governance, infrastructure upgradation and promotion of a league culture. "I think it is a very good policy. See, if you want good governance, you need a good policy. If you look at the policy overall, it has four or five very important pillars. "One is excellence, two is infrastructure, three is sports science, four is social upliftment, five is the industry of sports. So, if you have these five pillars, I think it is a well-crafted policy. "In India, policy is not the problem, the implementation of the policy is the problem. So we hope that the implementation will be good." This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.


Economic Times
30 minutes ago
- Economic Times
At 44, birthday boy Dhoni's risk-taking continues beyond cricket — a sneak peak into his investments
On his 44th birthday, MS Dhoni's investment portfolio reflects his risk-taking mindset, backing new-age startups in EVs, fintech, drones, and alt proteins through ventures like BluSmart, Khatabook, and Garuda Aerospace. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads 1) BluSmart Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads 2) Khatabook 3) Cars24 4) Garuda Aerospace 5) Centricity 6) Rigi 7) EMotorad 8) Shaka Harry 9) 7Ink Brews Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads 10) Tagda Raho 11) Run Adam Widely regarded as India's most successful cricket captain ever, birthday boy Mahendra Singh Dhoni's penchant for risk taking is replicated in his investment choices as well. A Tracxn data on Dhoni's portfolio shows his preference for emerging sectors like electric vehicles, fintech, drone tech and alternative turns 44 has put his money in companies such as BluSmart, Khatabook, , Centricity, EMotorad, Shaka Harry, 7Ink Brews, Tagda Raho and Run Adam. The above themes remain a buzzword and in stock market parlance are referred to as new-age themes . None of the stocks are listed on Indian stock exchanges, so provides an all-electric ride-hailing platform and is a Series A company (start-up). The company offers an EV-based cab service allowing users to book intracity rides via an app. The company has raised $167.6 million with a valuation of $336.7 million (Feb 2025). Notable investors include Survam Partners and provides an app for kirana stores to manage payments, send reminders, and handle invoices. It has raised $186.6 million with a valuation of $600 million (Aug 2021). Key investors include Y Combinator and helps users buy, sell, and finance used and new cars, offering vehicle valuation and related services. It has raised $1.08 billion with a valuation of Rs 3.23 billion (Feb 2022). Major investors include Exor and KCK Aerospace builds drones for agriculture, surveillance, disaster management, and more. It has raised $49.3 million with a valuation of $259 million (Jun 2025).Centricity offers a SaaS-based investment management suite for independent financial advisors. The company has raised $24 million with a valuation of $116 crore (Oct 2024). Investors include Burman Family Holdings and Paramark enables creators to launch and monetize online courses and groups, letting them earn from their social followings. It has raised $25 million with a valuation of $59 million (Sep 2024). Investors include Elevation Capital, Accel, Stellaris Venture Partners, and Titan develops e-bikes with lithium-ion batteries and digital displays, targeting both urban commuters and recreational riders. It has raised$25.9 million, with a valuation of $51 million (Sep 2024). Investors include Green Frontier Capital and Harry creates vegan meat substitutes like nuggets, kebabs, and stuffed parathas. The company has raised $2.6 million, with a valuation of Rs $12.4 million (Jun 2023). Backers include Better Bite and Blue Horizon.7Ink Brews offers craft beers and food products with a focus on premium culinary experiences. It has raised $7.4 million, with a valuation of Rs 38.5 million (Nov 2021). Key investors include BNP Paribas and Valam Raho offers patented, adjustable workout gear for home and travel-friendly fitness. It has raised $105,000, with a valuation of $4,99,922 (Dec 2023).Run Adam connects athletes, coaches, and fans, offering features like finding training sessions and booking sports events.


Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
ICC appoints Sanjog Gupta as its new CEO
Indian media mogul Sanjog Gupta was on Monday named the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Jay Shah-led International Cricket Council (ICC), replacing Australian Geoff Allardice, who stepped down before the Champions Trophy earlier this year citing personal reasons. ICC appoints Sanjog Gupta as its new CEO.(Disney Star) Gupta, who was serving as the CEO (Sports & Live Experiences) at JioStar, will be taking charge of his new role with immediate effect. He will be the seventh CEO of the ICC, which said it received more than 2,500 applications from 25 countries from which 12 candidates were shortlisted. "Candidates ranged from leaders associated with sport's governing bodies to senior corporate executives from across sectors," the ICC said. The names were forwarded to the Nominations Committee comprising ICC deputy chairman Imran Khwaja, ECB chairman Richard Thompson, SLC president Shammi Silva and BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia. They recommended Gupta for the role which was approved by ICC chairman Jay Shah. "Sanjog Gupta has been a driving force behind the transformation of sports broadcasting in India and globally," the ICC said. The governing body also noted Gupta's role in establishing and expanding other leagues such as the Pro Kabaddi League and the Indian Super League (football) while promoting global events like Premier League and Wimbledon. "Sanjog has played a pivotal role in shaping the continued growth of marquee Cricket properties such as ICC events & IPL, establishing domestic sports leagues like PKL and ISL, furthering the popularity of global sporting events such as Premier League and Wimbledon and scaling the business across consumer and commercial objectives," it said. Shah said Gupta's experience in sports strategy and commercialisation will be vital for the ICC. "Sanjog brings extensive experience in sports strategy and commercialisation, which will be invaluable for the ICC," he said. "His deep understanding of the global sports as well as M&E landscape combined with his continued curiosity about the cricket fan's perspective and passion for technology will prove essential in our ambition to grow the game in the coming years." Gupta succeeds Allardice who had quit in January this year after a four-year tenure. It was widely speculated that the 57-year-old Allardice's decision to leave was triggered, in major part, by the ICC Board's unhappiness with his failure to present a "clear picture" of Pakistan's lack of preparedness to host the Champions Trophy. Gupta said he is looking forward to contributing to the next phase of cricket. He began his career as journalist and joined Star India (now JioStar) in 2010. Over the years, he held multiple leadership roles in content, programming and strategy before becoming Head of Sports at Disney and Star India in 2020. Gupta was appointed CEO of JioStar Sports in November 2024 following the merger of Viacom18 and Disney Star. The post of ICC's CEO has been previously held by David Richards, Malcolm Speed and Allardice from Australia, David Richardson and Haroon Lorgat from South Africa and Indian-born Manu Sawhney.