In a moment of immense pride for Indian cricket fans, former Indian captain MS Dhoni has been officially inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. The announcement has been met with widespread admiration and emotional tributes from across the cricketing fraternity. Among those leading the applause was BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, who called the recognition both timely and well-deserved.
“This decision of the ICC is absolutely correct. Dhoni definitely deserves this honour,” Shukla stated, underlining the former captain's unparalleled contribution to Indian and world cricket. “Looking at his contribution to world cricket, to Indian cricket, it was necessary to honour him with this. I thank ICC for choosing Dhoni for this,” he added, expressing gratitude to the global cricketing body for acknowledging Dhoni’s legacy.
Shukla emphasized that Dhoni’s induction into the Hall of Fame is not just a personal milestone but a recognition of the impact he has had on the sport globally. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India achieved unprecedented success, winning the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011, and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, a rare treble in the history of cricket. Beyond the trophies, Dhoni’s calm demeanor, tactical brilliance, and ability to inspire those around him became hallmarks of his illustrious career.
“Dhoni was the most deserving player as far as the ICC Hall of Fame is concerned. The ICC has given him this honour. So, we all are appreciating ICC's decision,” Shukla noted, reflecting the sentiments of millions of Indian fans who have long championed Dhoni’s achievements and character both on and off the field.
MS Dhoni's career
With over 17,000 runs across all formats, Dhoni remains the only captain in history to have led his team to titles in all three ICC white-ball events. As captain, Dhoni guided India to historic heights: clinching the first-ever ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, maintaining the No. 1 Test ranking for 18 consecutive months from December 2009, and famously leading India to 50-over World Cup glory in 2011 with a title-winning six against Sri Lanka.
Dhoni also holds the record for captaining his country in the most international matches. In 2019, he was named in both the ICC ODI and T20I Teams of the Decade.
Other ICC Hall Of Fame inductees
Apart from Dhoni, the other male cricketers to get the honour were South Africa's Hashim Amla, former Australia opener Matthew Hayden, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith, and New Zealand great Daniel Vettori. Pakistan's Sana Mir and former England wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor.
