London, June 9: Former India captain MS Dhoni was inducted into the ICC’s Hall of Fame for the year 2025 along with seven cricketers, including two female players, here on Monday.
Dhoni was joined by Australian batting great Matthew Hayden, South African duo of Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla as well as former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori as five men’s cricketers were added to the list.
Also inducted into the elite group were former England wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor and ex-Pakistan captain Sana Mir.
The ICC hailed Dhoni as a player who excelled not just in numbers but also in “extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity”.
“Celebrated for his calm under pressure and unmatched tactical nous, but also a trailblazer in the shorter formats, MS Dhoni’s legacy as one of the game’s greatest finishers, leaders and wicketkeepers has been honoured with his induction into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame,” said the ICC statement.
“With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals and 538 matches across formats for India, Dhoni’s numbers reflect not just excellence but extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity,” it said.
Dhoni, who led India to the T20 World Cup win in 2007, the ODI World Cup victory in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013, said in a statement shared by the governing body that, “It is an honour to be named in the ICC Hall of Fame, which recognises the contributions of cricketers across generations and from all over the world.”
“To have your name remembered alongside such all-time greats is a wonderful feeling. It is something that I will cherish forever.”
Dhoni played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is for India and remains one of the greatest captains to have led the country. In 60 Tests that Dhoni captained the side, India won 27 games, lost 15 and drew 18.
In 200 ODIs, a record for most number of matches as India captain, Dhoni led the country to 110 wins while losing 74 games. Five matches ended in a tie and 11 were washed out.
“Dhoni’s ODI legacy is studded with records, including the most stumpings in the format (123), the highest individual score by a wicketkeeper (183*), and the most matches as captain for India (200), to name a few. But the crowning moment of his career came in 2011, when he led India to World Cup glory after a 28-year wait,” the ICC said.
Dhoni also holds the record for leading India in most T20Is — 72 — in which the two-time World Cup winners won 41 games, lost 28 while two ended in no result and one was tied.
A legendary finisher in ODIs, Dhoni scored 10,773 runs in 350 matches at 50.57 with 10 centuries and 73 fifties.
He scored 4,876 runs in 90 Tests at a little over 38 with six tons and 33 fifties, while Dhoni scored 1,617 runs in 98 T20Is at 37.60 with two fifties.
“His glove work defied convention. Dhoni’s technique behind the stumps was unorthodox, yet extraordinarily effective. He turned wicketkeeping into an art form of its own, affecting run-outs off deflections, completing stumpings in the blink of an eye, and pulling off catches with a style all his own,” the ICC said.
“With the bat, he brought brute force and power-hitting to the wicketkeeper-batter’s role that was traditionally reserved for steady, lower-order contributors. At a time when Indian wicketkeepers were expected to play it safe, Dhoni came out swinging, both literally and metaphorically.”
Recalling India’s title win in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa, ICC said it made Dhoni “one of the most influential captains the game has ever seen”.
“The victory not only sparked a new era of Indian cricket but confirmed that the future of its leadership was in safe hands. What followed was a period of sustained success across formats and the rise of Dhoni as one of the most influential captains the game has ever seen,” the ICC said. (PTI)
