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NEWS Cricket World Cup 2007>The impact of Mahendra Singh Dhoni 07th May 2006 22.30 IST By Manish Kumar Mahendra Dhoni has captured the imagination of the entire nation almost like in a way Sachin Tendulkar did when he made his debut against Pakistan. While Sachin was a teenage prodigy, who went on to become one of the best batsmen in the world maturing with age and altering his strokeplay, Dhoni is a clinical destroyer of bowling attacks who is here to stay.
Though Dhoni made his first-class debut in the 1999-2000 season, it was only in 2004 that he became a serious contender for national selection with some stirring performances when the occasion demanded - a rapid hundred which helped East Zone clinch the Deodhar Trophy and an audacious 60 in the Duleep Trophy final. But his first two domestic seasons were not dull by and standards. In his first domestic season, Dhoni scored 66% of his runs in boundaries and bettered that figure in his second season scoring 76% of his runs in boundaries. But it was with his two centuries against Pakistan A, in the triangular tournament in Kenya, that Dhoni established himself as a clinical destroyer of bowling attacks. In just his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Vishakapatnam, Dhoni cracked a dazzling 148 off only 123 deliveries and shot to fame. But Dhoni's best performance till date came on October 31, 2005, when he broke Gilchrist's record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs by hitting an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls against Sri Lanka at Jaipur, also equalling the second best score by an Indian in ODIs. It was the first instance ever when a wicket-keeper hit the highest number of sixes in an innings (with ten - all-rounders Sanath Teran Jayasuriya and Shahid Khan Afridi have hit 11). Dhoni also broke Saeed Anwar 's record of most runs scored off boundaries by scoring a total of 120 runs off fours and sixes eclipsing the previous record of 118. This broke the record for the highest individual score for a team batting second. Dhoni’s dazzling knock also established the new Indian record of number of sixes in a match, overtaking previous record holders, Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly (both hit seven sixes in a match). Dhoni made an instant impact on the Test level too, scoring 148 at Faisalabad against Shoaib Akhtar & co. in only his fifth Test, when India were struggling to avoid the follow on. The power that he generates from his bat makes the ball travel to a long long distance. So where does that power come from? A media report says that until he was 18, Dhoni’s basic diet was milk mixed with rice. But it is not possible to have milk and rice when touring and it was then that other items were included in Dhoni’s diet. The report added that Dhoni’s ancestors hail from Almora in north India – a region where the locals are believed to be amazingly fit and strong. That amazing fitness and strength testifies that 148 in the sultry heat of Vishakapatnam. Some wondered whether Dhoni is a one-match wonder, whether he would thrive under the perils of international cricket. But after 35 matches into his ODI career, Dhoni had an average of over 50, a strike-rate over 100 and over 1000 runs. It is due to this consistency, that Dhoni recently roared his way to the top of the ICC ODI batsmen’s list last month, albeit for a short while, but to do so in such a short career, is nothing but awe striking. Dhoni has hit the most number of sixes by an Indian in an Innings, and the second highest in ODI cricket, which is a total of 10 sixes. Currently, Dhoni has one of the highest strike rates in the world (103). With 44 sixes in 38 ODI innings, Dhoni has hit more sixes than international matches that he has played. From his hair, to his liking for bikes and his unconventional batting style, all have become a point of discussion. Dhoni is surely the next big thing in Indian cricket and the brand is growing by the day. It may be too early to start comparing Dhoni with Gilchrist, but the Dhoni dhamaka is sure to carry on and some more sparkling performances are still to come. And for his millions of fans the biggest dhoom will be the World Cup in 2007 in the Caribbean. Also View In-Depth Coverage: Cricket World Cup 2007 Team Page: India Team Page: West Indies | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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