Happy Birthday MS Dhoni: India's forever 'Captain Cool' continues to inspire millions at 43

One of the most iconic figures in Indian cricket, MS Dhoni, turns 43 today and continues to be an inspiration to a generation of cricketers and also people from other walks of life with his grounded and focused outlook towards life.
In a touching gesture celebrating her husband's birthday, Sakshi Dhoni touched MSD's feet, displaying the traits of Indian culture ingrained in the family, after 'Mahi' cut his birthday cake at midnight.

While it is unknown where the late-night birthday celebrations happened, Bollywood super star Salman Khan was also present at the small party and later put out a post on 'X' to wish Dhoni.

The mania around India's forever 'Captain Cool' continues to show in the love of his fans, some of who have put up MSD's 100-feet cut out in Nandigama, Andhra Pradesh, to celebrate his 43rd birthday.
Dhoni, who possibly made his last competitive appearance on the cricket field at the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this season, remains low profile in his personal life; but fans continue to follow all his moves off the field.

While the Chennai Super Kings icon, fondly called 'Thala' by the CSK fans, has remained silent about his decision to bid IPL adieu, his followers continue to hope of the last hurrah in Chennai jersey next year.
In his decorated career, India's most successful wicketkeeper-batsman and iconic skipper played 90 Tests, quitting red-ball cricket in 2014. He scored 4876 runs in Test cricket at an average of 38.09, including 7 hundreds and 33 fifties, with a highest of 224.

He continued to play white-ball cricket for India before calling it a day in the international arena on 15th August 2020 after playing 350 ODIs and 98 T20Is.
He scored 10,773 runs in 50-over internationals at an average of 50.58, including 73 fifties and 10 centuries. In T20Is, he finished with 1617 runs at an average of 37.6, including two half-centuries.
He remains the only Indian captain to have won every ICC prize -- the Test mace, Champions Trophy (2013), ODI World Cup (2011) and T20 World Cup (2007).
In the IPL, Dhoni has played 264 matches, scoring 5243 runs at an average of 39.13 and strike rate of 137.54, including 24 fifties. Earlier this year, before the start of IPL 2024, he handed over the CSK captaincy to the team's young batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad.