On This Day in 2007: MS Dhoni kickstarts his captaincy career

Yash Mittal

image-l81qgbxiMS Dhoni (PC: Twitter)

14 September 2007, what's so special about this date? Does it ring a bell in your head? Does it transport you to that magical night at Kingsmead, Durban, where a golden era of Indian white-ball cricket kicked off in full force?

15 years ago, it was on this very day when MS Dhoni led India for the very first time in international cricket.

Actually, it was supposed to happen on the 13th as India were scheduled to open their T20I World Cup 2007 campaign against Scotland. But, that game got washed out without a ball being delivered.



24 hours later, as Dhoni walked out for toss, loads had changed in Indian cricket.

1] Firstly, the BCCI launched the Indian Premier League and Champions League T20 to curb the influx of overseas players in the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).

2] Secondly, Rahul Dravid shocked everyone by relinquishing leadership duties from all formats.

So, as India got ready to face arch-rivals Pakistan, they didn't have a Test and ODI captain, and the guy who was leading them at the World Cup had never captained at any level prior to it.