MS Dhoni - Test Career Timeline

December 2, 2005: Makes his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Chennai, in a cyclone-hit match that spans just 146.2 overs. Makes 30 off 54 balls in India's only innings and holds a catch behind the stumps off the sixth ball of Sri Lanka's innings.

December 12, 2005: Scores his first Test fifty (51* off 51 balls) in the second innings at the Feroz Shah Kotla, putting on 104 for the seventh wicket with Yuvraj Singh in a partnership that shoves Sri Lanka out of the match. Holds two catches and effects a stumping.

January 23, 2006: At 281 for 5 in reply to Pakistan's 588, India are in trouble against Shoaib Akhtar. With the follow-on looming, Dhoni wades into Pakistan's bowling attack and biffs 148 off 153 balls to help India post 603, a lead of 15. The Test is drawn.

July 23, 2007: Helps draw India a Test at Lord's, scoring 76 not out off 159 balls while shepherding a sagging tail. Chasing 380, India found themselves at 145 for 5 with over three hours left in the match. Dhoni, contrary to his nature, shuts shot and bats for 203 minutes. His tenth-wicket stand of 19 with No 11 Sreesanth seals a nerve-wracking draw in the series opener against England.

April 11, 2008: Leads in a Test for the first time in Anil Kumble's absence. India beat South Africa inside three days on a rank turner at Kanpur's Green Park.

October 21, 2008: In his second match as Test captain - Kumble is out injured - Dhoni wins his first Man-of-the-Match award for innings of 92 and 68* in a 130-run win in the second Test against Australia in Mohali, which gives them a 1-0 lead.

November 6, 2008: Dhoni takes charge as full-time Test captain with Kumble retired. India beat Australia by 172 runs in Nagpur to win the series 2-0.

December 23, 2008: In his first full Test series as captain, Dhoni leads India to a 1-0 win over England in the aftermath of the horrific Mumbai terror attacks.

April 7, 2009: A drawn third Test in Wellington makes Dhoni the second India captain in 41 years to win a Test series in New Zealand.

December 6, 2009: Following a 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka, India become No 1 in the ICC Test rankings for the first time. Dhoni scores an unbeaten 100 in India's mammoth total of 726 for 9.

February 18, 2010: India just managed to keep their No 1 ranking with an innings win over South Africa at Eden Gardens. Dhoni makes an impression on the series-levelling win with 132 not out off 187 balls in India's 643 for 6.

January 6, 2011: India draw their first Test series on South African soil, under Dhoni.

August 22, 2011: India, who have lost the No 1 ranking during the tough England summer, end the four-Test series 0-4.

January 2012: Dhoni gets a one-Test suspension for a slow over-rate during the Perth Test. India have already lost the series 3-0 before the fourth match.

December 17, 2012: A rare embarrassment for Dhoni and India at home as England beat them 2-1 in a four-Test series. It was India's first home Test series loss in 28 years.

February 24, 2013: A first for Dhoni in Tests: a rollicking double-century that takes India from an uncomfortable period and into the lead over Australia on day three in Chennai. Dhoni walks in at the fall of Sachin Tendulkar for 81 after India had scored just 14 runs in the 11 overs and proceeds to dominate a stand of 128 with Virat Kohli before marshalling the lower order to a total of 515 for 8. At stumps, India's lead is 135 with Dhoni on 206 - the highest score by any wicketkeeper-captain and the best by an Indian wicketkeeper. He finishes with 224 and wins his second and final Man-of-the-Match award.

March 5, 2013: Dhoni becomes India's most successful captain. An innings-and-135-run win over Australia in Hyderabad takes him past Sourav Ganguly's record of 21 Test wins. It is the team's second-biggest victory over Australia. Dhoni's win-loss ratio is also the best for those to have led India in more than four Test matches.

March 24, 2013: Oversees India's first Test series whitewash over Australia by 4-0.

December 30, 2013: A third consecutive overseas Test series loss for Dhoni as India do down 1-0 in South Africa.

February 2014: India lose a Test and a series to New Zealand after 12 years. A fourth overseas defeat in succession.

July 21, 2014: India win at Lord's for the first time in 28 years, arguably the most famous Test win under Dhoni. They go up 1-0 in the second Test of the five-match series.

August 17, 2014: A three-day loss at The Oval means India lose to England 3-1 after taking the lead at Lord's - the fifth straight away series loss under Dhoni.

December 30, 2014: Shortly after India lose their sixth consecutive overseas Test series, Dhoni announces his retirement from Test cricket at the MCG.

I was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of MS Dhoni's retirement: BCCI Secretary

MS Dhoni surprised one and all with his sudden retirement announcement 

BCCI Secretary, Sanjay Patel, clarified that MS Dhoni's decision to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect 'wan't taken in haste' and that it had come after a lot of 'soul searching and deliberations'. Although Patel, did no divulge the details of Dhoni's discussions with the Board, he admitted that he knew that the Indian captain had wanted to quit one of the formats in order to concentrate on the remaining two formats

"MS is a very practical man. Today, he called up just after the Test match in Melbourne and told me that he wanted to retire from Test cricket. I asked him if he was injured. He calmly told me that he wanted to quit Test cricket for good. He is an Indian captain and a distinguished cricketer. It is his personal choice and I needed to respect that," Patel was quoted as saying.

"I asked him if it was his final decision and he told me to wait a bit as he wanted to inform the team about his decision before me making an official announcement. He duly called up and told me that he had informed the boys and that I could go ahead. In the meanwhile, I contacted chairman of selectors Sandeep Patil and Shivlal Yadav. Both felt that we should respect Dhoni's decision," the BCCI Secretary said revealing the events that unfolded.

"I was a bit taken aback by the suddenness of his statement. But we had spoken about it before the Test also. Now what transpired between us is an internal matter but I can tell you that it wasn't a decision taken in haste. It was done after due deliberations," Patel added.

On being asked if Dhoni was a touch emotional when he intimated about the decision, Patel said, "I didn't feel that. But someone, who was present in the dressing room told me that he (Dhoni) was a bit emotional while announcing his decision. He has given fantastic service to Indian cricket and the BCCI has always believed that retirement is any player's personal choice."

Patel, however assured that Dhoni would very much remain the leader in the shorter formats. "You have to understand that Dhoni knows the rigours that his body has taken in Test cricket more than anyone else. But there isn't a single murmur about his leadership in the shorter formats. There is no question of any change in that regard," he signed off.

Ravi Shastri: India will be a bullet side in 12 months

"Mark my words, give this team 12 months and they will be back in the top two," said Ravi Shastri. 

With Australia holding on to their 2-0 lead after the drawn game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), India have lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but team director, Ravi Shastri, feels the tourists have run the hosts hard so far in the series and there are a lot of positives to take from their performance.

Failing to come out on top in crucial moments is something that the team should address, added Shastri, who mentioned that he was pleased with the team's aggressive mindset and predicted that the Indian team will be amongst the top-ranked Test nations within a year.

"This Indian team has pushed Australia hard. There are certain areas we have to address. Twenty minutes of madness has cost both our games. Little bit of luck and things could have been different. But, I am happy with the mindset. Mark my words, give this team 12 months and they will be back in the top two," Shastri said, in an interaction with Sunil Gavaskar and Sanjay Manjrekar.

"Here they have taken the attack to the opposition. They will be a bullet side in 12 months. They will learn how to cope with pressure. This is the first draw at the MCG in 17 years. The batting that I saw on Day 3 was something I have not seen in a long time. The whole of Australia stood up. India have not come out to compete, they are here to win. The scoreline does not matter," he added.

While speaking of India's bowling performance, which has been lacklustre, Shastri said the team lacks a quality all-rounder, who can ease the workload of the front-line bowlers. "What we miss overseas is a batsman in the top six who could bowl, somebody like Sourav (Ganguly) - a medium paced all-rounder, who could bowl overseas. I believe with four bowlers at times, the workload becomes hard."

"Discipline-wise, they bowled well this morning. They will learn from that. We will go to Sydney without a care in the world. To hell with the scoreline. You will have to take a chance with a certain player. At the end of this tour, we can do all the evaluation. It is important to have a sustained level of performance," Shastri added.

The former India skipper wanted the pace bowlers to bowl with consistency and challenged them to retain the same intensity throughout the game. "You may bowl well in the first two sessions. But my challenge to (Mohammed) Shami, Umesh (Yadav) and (Varun) Aaron is show me what you have in the final session. If you don't do it, somebody else will do it," he said.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Profile

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Born on July 07, 1981 at Ranchi Right Handed Batsman  and  Right-arm medium bowler Teams played for Chennai, Asia XI, India, Indians

Batting stats   M Inn Runs HS Avg SR NO 100 50 4s 6s Tests 90 144 4876 224 38.09 59.12 16 6 33 544 78 ODI 250 219 8192 183 52.85 89.29 64 9 56 637 177 T20I 50 45 849 48 33.96 116.3 20 0 0 57 24 IPL 112 99 2616 70 40.88 142.25 35 0 14 191 109 CL 24 23 449 63 29.93 141.19 8 0 1 28 26 Bowling stats   M Inn B Runs Wkts BBI BBM Econ Avg SR 5W 10W Tests 90 7 96 67 0 1 / 0 1 / 0 4.19 0 0 0 0 ODI 250 2 36 31 1 14 / 1 14 / 1 5.17 31 36 0 0 T20I 50 0 0 0 0 - / - - / - 0 0 0 0 0 IPL 112 0 0 0 0 - / - - / - 0 0 0 0 0 CL 24 1 12 25 0 25 / 0 25 / 0 12.5 0 0 0 0

Career

TEST	v Sri Lanka, Dec 02, 2005, MA Chidambaram Stadium    Scorecard
Last	v Australia, 2014-12-26, Melbourne Cricket Ground    Scorecard
ODI	v Bangladesh, Dec 23, 2004, MA Aziz Stadium    Scorecard
Last	v West Indies, 2014-10-17, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium    Scorecard
T20I	v South Africa, Dec 01, 2006, The Wanderers Stadium    Scorecard
Last	v England, 2014-09-07, Edgbaston    Scorecard
IPL	v Punjab, Apr 19, 2008, Punjab Cricket Association Stadium    Scorecard
Last	v Punjab, 2014-05-30, Wankhede Stadium    Scorecard
CL	v Central Stags, Sep 11, 2010, Kingsmead    Scorecard
Last	v Kolkata, 2014-10-04, M.Chinnaswamy Stadium    Scorecard

Profile

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's arrival in Indian cricket and his subsequent rise has been a story of unprecedented success punctuated by only the occasional blip. Of all the players of the present generation, it is Dhoni who symbolizes the new India best. Aggressive without being brash, successful without being arrogant, and seemingly possessing a Midas touch where all he touches turn to cricketing gold-dust, Dhoni is the perfect blend of a role-model and pin-up star. 

Dhoni announced himself on the international stage with an array of almost agricultural shots and a bat that he wielded like an axe. In his fifth match, he smashed 148 off a Pakistan attack that didn't know what hit them. Six months later he went one better, to score a brutal 183 not out against Sri Lanka in an innings that made Sehwag look snail-like. That innings also saw him break Adam Gilchrist's record for the highest score by a wicket-keeper in a One Day International. 

Dhoni's arrival ended India's long search for a wicket-keeper who could also bat, and he now has the most number of dismissals in ODIs and Tests by an Indian keeper. 

His growing stature and cool head led to his appointment as India's captain for the inaugural T20 WC, where Dhoni's calm leadership steered India to victory. He then became the ODI captain after Rahul Dravid relinquished the post, and eventually ascended to the full-time Test captaincy once Anil Kumble retired. 

Leadership saw him change his batting style, as he made a shift from being explosive to being more reliable. With an ODI average that has crossed 50, and a strike rate that remains in the high 80s, the shift has worked for Dhoni. 

As a leader, his hallmarks have been his ability to not duck behind excuses and his ability to maintain his cool under situations of extreme pressure. Dhoni's biggest triumph was the World cup win of 2011, which India won after 28 years owing to his exemplary batting display in the final and calm and methodical leadership. Post World Cup, when the Indian team struggled to perform to the levels they did in the previous two years, Dhoni became a lone-warrior for the ODI team on many an occasion. In that period, he became the first captain in ODI history to score a century batting at No.7 in 2012, against Pakistan at Chennai when he scored a stunning 113 walking in to the crease when India were 29 for 5. 

Although his fierce captaincy helped India achieve success and grab the top spot in Test cricket, his 7 back to back Test losses against England and Australia overseas put his image as a Test batsman and captain in question. To add fuel to fire, the 1-2 drubbing India received at home from England in the Test series of 2012 earned him criticism from many former players. 

In the Border-Gavaskar series of 2013, Dhoni became the first Indian wicket-keeper to hit a double hundred in Tests when he smashed 224 in the first Test at Chennai - the best knock of his career so far. His fluent innings gave India a much needed victory in the first Test of the series earning him the respect he had lost during his lean Test period the previous year. He also became the first Indian wicket-keeper to complete 4000 runs in Test cricket. After a convincing win in the second Test match, he crossed Sourav Ganguly's record of 21 Test wins and became the most successful Test captain for India. Under his captaincy, India became the first team in more than 40 years to whitewash Australia in a Test series. 

As a captain Dhoni is having a dream run in 2013. In June 2013, Dhoni led India to win their second Champions Trophy title. He also became the first captain in the history to win all three ICC global events. He has led India to 2007 T20 WC Championship win, 2011 ICC World Cup title and ICC Champions Trophy honours. 

India then won the ODI series against Australia and whitewashed West Indies in Tests in November 2013. In the 3rd ODI against Australia in October 2013, Dhoni became the fastest Indian captain to complete 5000 runs in ODIs after Mohammad Azharuddin (5239) and Sourav Ganguly (5082). The following month, in the second ODI against West Indies at Vizag, Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper-batsman in history to captain his country in 150 One Day Internationals. He is also the second Indian after Mohammad Azharuddin to captain India in 150 matches. Azharuddin holds the Indian record with 174 games as the leader of the side. 

He also led the side to the finals of the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh, in which India lost to Sri Lanka.

Dhoni also leads Chennai, one of the most successful teams in the history of Indian Premier league, which won back to back IPLs in the years 2010 and 2011 and also the Champions League T20 in the year 2010. 

While Dhoni's keeping was outstanding, his captaincy came under severe criticism, especially after India's continuous losses overseas. One of India's modern legends, he announced a surprise retirement from Test cricket at the end of the Melbourne Test in 2014, moments after leading India to a draw. He cited excess workload as the reason for quitting the longest format of the game. Dhoni also said he would continue to feature in the 50-over and T20 format of the game. 

New Zealand complete best ever Test year

New Zealand 441 (McCullum 195, Neesham 85) and 107 for 2 beat Sri Lanka 138 (Boult 3-25, Wagner 3-60) and 407 (Karunaratne 152, Boult 4-100, Southee 4-91) by eight wickets

Tim Southee's short-ball tactic worked well against the tail

It had to be black magic. Tim Southee and Trent Boult were swinging a 70-over old ball on the fourth morning. Both ways. Their skill accounted for 13 of the 20 Sri Lankan wickets and confirmed Brendon McCullum's Boxing Day assault as match winning. Christchurch witnessed New Zealand's fifth victory in 2014, marking it their best year in Test history. 

A target of 105 appeared straightforward, but Sri Lanka created a few nervous moments for New Zealand along the way. A fluent Tom Latham was undone by a ripping turner from debutant offspinner Tharindu Kaushal and Hamish Rutherford was surprised by Shaminda Eranga's extra bounce and lobbed a catch to gully.

Sri Lanka strived hard for further inroads. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, though, were resolute and secured the Test in the seventh over after tea on the fourth day.

The visitors had begun the day 10 runs behind and with five wickets in hand, and their best chance was if their captain Angelo Mathews could shepherd the tail. But even he was unprepared for the bouncer from Southee, feathering an edge to the keeper off a front-foot pull early in the morning.

Kaushal, the night-watchman, managed a couple of pleasing strokes through square leg and cover off the front foot before a short ball in the off-stump corridor did him. He was caught in two minds and before he could pull the bat away, the edge flew to Mark Craig at second slip to give Southee his first strike of the morning.

Dhammika Prasad was reluctant to get in line for most of his 17 balls and was not ready when Southee sprung the trap with the fuller length - twice. Ross Taylor grassed an absolute dolly, but before his face could grow red another came his way and he caught it.

Sri Lanka did well to bat until lunch and their final-wicket pair even forced the umpires to take a half hour's extension. The lead was 17 when Mathews was dismissed, but Eranga and Suranga Lakmal conjured 59 runs off 57 balls. Their clear-the-front-leg-and-swing tactic frustrated New Zealand as they either watched the ball skirt past the outside edge or skim to the cow-corner boundary. Boult broke through and earned himself and his fellow bowlers some well-deserved rest after 196 testing overs across the two innings.

MS Dhoni retires from Test cricket

38 stumpings, 78 sixes, 21 home wins

A look back at the key numbers from MS Dhoni's Test career, as batsman, captain, and wicketkeeper

Most Tests as keeper-captain

60 The number of Tests in which MS Dhoni captained India, the highest among all Indians, and sixth among all captains. It's also easily the highest for a wicketkeeper - the next best is Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim, with 19 matches as captain.

294 Test dismissals for Dhoni, the fifth highest among all wicketkeepers, and the best for an Indian by far: the next best is Syed Kirmani's 198 dismissals in 88 matches.

27 The number of Tests India won with Dhoni as captain - the next highest for India is Sourav Ganguly with 21. Only six captains won more Tests than Dhoni did.

21 The number of home Tests India won under Dhoni, which puts him fourth in the all-time list - only Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh captained in more home wins. The next best for India is Mohammad Azharuddin with 13 wins. However, in overseas Tests India won only six out of 30 under Dhoni, and lost 15. In contrast, India won 11 out of 28 overseas Tests under Ganguly, and five out of 17 under Rahul Dravid. Since the 2011 World Cup, India lost 13 out of 18 overseas Tests under Dhoni, winning only one and drawing four.

9 Number of dismissals Dhoni affected in his last Test (eight catches, one stumping), which is the highest for an Indian wicketkeeper. There are five instances of eight dismissals by an Indian wicketkeeper, of which Dhoni was the protagonist three times. In Test history, there are only four instances of wicketkeepers affecting more than nine dismissals in a Test.

38 The number of stumpings by Dhoni, which is the joint third highest in Test history, along with Kirmani. Only Godfrey Evans (46) and Bert Oldfield (52) have more stumpings.

224 Dhoni's score against Australia in Chennai last year, the third best ever by a wicketkeeper in Tests. Only Andy Flower (232* against India in 2000) and Kumar Sangakkara (230 versus Pakistan in 2002) have made bigger scores. Before Dhoni's double-century, the highest by a wicketkeeper for India was Budhi Kunderan's 192 against England in 1964.

Most runs as a Test wicketkeeper

4876 Runs that Dhoni scored in Tests, which is the third best for a wicketkeeper, after Adam Gilchrist (5570) and Mark Boucher (5515). Among Indian wicketkeepers it's easily the best, well clear of Kirmani's 2759 and Farrokh Engineer's 2611. He averaged 38.09, the best among Indian wicketkeepers who played more than three Tests, while his six Test hundreds is three times the next best for India.

47.21 Dhoni's batting average in Tests in Asia. In 72 innings he scored six hundreds and 18 fifties. He played exactly 72 innings outside Asia as well, but didn't manage a single hundred, and averaged 29.79. His highest outside Asia was 92, at The Oval in 2007.

3454 Runs scored by Dhoni as Test captain, which is the highest among Indian captains. Sunil Gavaskar is next, with 3449 runs in 47 Tests as captain, while Azharuddin made 2856 runs in 47 matches. Dhoni averaged 40.63 as captain; when not captain, his average dropped to 33.06.

2871 The Test runs Dhoni scored from the No. 7 position, the highest for India at that slot; Kapil Dev is next with an aggregate of 2861. No other Indian batsman has scored more than 800 runs from that position.

15 The number of overseas Tests India lost under Dhoni. Only Stephen Fleming (16 losses from 42 Tests) and Brian Lara (16 losses from 20 Tests) have lost more overseas games as captain.

78 Number of sixes Dhoni hit in Tests. Among Indians only Virender Sehwag, with 90 sixes, has more.

22 The number of century partnerships that Dhoni was involved in. His most prolific partnerships came with VVS Laxman: in 27 stands they aggregated 1361 runs, at an average of 56.70 runs per completed partnership, with three century stands. Laxman was the only partner with whom Dhoni put together more than 1000 runs. Of the four double-century partnerships he was involved in, two were with Laxman.

2 Number of Man-of-the-Match awards Dhoni won in Tests. Both were against Australia - in Mohali in 2008, and in Chennai in 2013.

MS Dhoni retires from Tests

Dhoni retired from Test cricket following the draw at Melbourne. © AFP

Twitter was abuzz with accolades for MS Dhoni after he announced his decision to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect at the end of the third Test against Australia in Melbourne. Celebrities took to the micro-blogging site to wish Dhoni success after BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) revealed that India's greatest ever Test captain had decided to concentrate on the shorter formats of the game.

TC to TC: From Ticket Collector to Test Captain

Like Bruce Wayne from the Dark Knight series, he chose to live long enough to see himself become the villain... 

About a month back, a biopic on MS Dhoni's life was announced by a major production house in India. Sushant Singh Rajput, a new-gen Bollywood actor, reportedly grew long locks to play MS. There was to be no biography/autobiography of any sort. Dhoni's story would move straight from the cricket field to the silver screen. It has been that kind of a story. MS Dhoni, broke the metropolitan monopoly, and carved out a small, yet significant, part in Indian Test history. They say, the journey is more important than the end or the start, and MS Dhoni's journey took him from being a Ticket Collector with Indian Railways to India Test Captain.

The beginnings were small and humble, as it often is, for Indian cricketers from middle-class backgrounds. Dhoni, having excelled in school and club cricket, moved to Kharagpur, as a 20-year-old, in search of employment. The then-divisional railway manager of South Eastern Railway was in need of a wicket-keeper batsman. 60 balls later, Dhoni was handed a job via Sports Quota. While it was well known in local circles that Dhoni was cut-out for bigger things, he almost, quite literally, missed the flight to a career in international cricket. Having not been informed of his selection in the East Zone side, Dhoni, who was offered a ride to the Kolkata airport, suffered another heartbreak when the car broke down midway thereby allowing Deep Dasgupta to play the Duleep Trophy game the next morning. But success can never be contained, only delayed. He fought his way through the rigors of domestic cricket and won his first Test Cap in 2005 against Sri Lanka in Chennai, a city that would embrace him as their own in later years.

Dhoni was not your archetypal Test cricketer. In front or behind the stumps, unorthodoxy ruled large in his game. Cricket to him, was as much between the ears, as it was with hands and legs. He didn't try to paper over his inadequacies and instead, took over an Indian Test side in its twilight and handed it back, just before dawn. In the process, he became India's most successful captain (in terms of Tests won - 27) and led India during its 18-month reign at the top of the Test rankings, between 2009-2011. 

In only his fifth Test, he took on Shoaib Akhtar in Faisalabad with India still 107-shy of Pakistan's first innings score and composed a typically brutal 148. During his penultimate series at home, his 224 in Chennai against the visiting Australian side helped India push for a win. And, earlier this year, even as India's top-order repeatedly crumbled against the swing of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, his counter-attacking half-centuries gave the Indian scorecard some semblance of respectability.

Despite his core competence lying in the limited overs format, Dhoni didn't choose to skip the long format much earlier. Instead, like Bruce Wayne from the Dark Knight series, he chose to live long enough to see himself become the villain. At 33, his greying beard was reflective of the toil of leading an Indian side bereft of experience. Overseas failures were constantly scrutinized. He was accused of 'letting the game drift' and 'employing defensive strategies' far too often. Maybe, rightly so. But, in his defense, he was merely playing with the resources at his disposal. Virender Sehwag didn't set up Test matches anymore. There was no Anil Kumble to run through the opposition tail. Zaheer Khan was nowhere near the bowler he once was and the famed Indian middle-order of the early 2000s had run its course. Yet, he duly faced media sharks after every defeat, and maintained his composure and his sense of humour. An Indian journalist in New Zealand, in 2014, questioned his reluctance to using four seamers in overseas to which he quipped in his inimitable style: "Two things happen whenever we play with four fast bowlers. One, the captain gets banned. Two, we lose."

Dhoni had a strange relationship with numbers. He once told former India coach, Greg Chappell that he if he saw off his first 13 deliveries, he could win the match for India! Having seen India through a very difficult phase in 2013-14 that included only overseas Tests, in South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia, he could have easily chosen the home series to right the wrongs and sign off, especially with a confident new team beginning to take shape. He played 90 Test matches, 60 as captain in a nine-year Test career. Maybe, round figures are not his thing. Maybe, it's a wicket-keeper thing after all (Adam Gilchrist played 96 Tests). Yet, in his own understated way, he surpassed the legendary Sunil Gavaskar for scoring the most Test runs as India captain and effected 9 dismissals (also a record) in his final Test. 

There was to be no farewell Test. No outpouring of emotions. Dhoni left Test cricket, the way he entered. Quiet, understated and without any fuss. The last time Australia and India played out a draw in Delhi in 2008, it was Anil Kumble's last Test and Dhoni took over as Test captain. And now, after a drawn Test in Melbourne, Dhoni called it quits. Over to you, Virat!

Highlights of MS Dhoni's Test career

MS Dhoni pulled down the curtains on his Test career.

Soon after the conclusion of the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India in Melbourne, Mahendra Singh Dhoni announced his retirement from the five-day format with immediate effect, citing he was strained playing all formats of cricket.

Dhoni, who took over as captain of the Indian Test team in 2008, has ended his five-day career, having played 90 Test matches. He finished with 4876 runs, 6 hundreds, 33 fifties and 294 dismissals. Below are some of the statistical highlights of India's most successful skipper.

Most successful Indian skipperDhoni's captaincy record: 60 matches, 27 wins, 18 losses, 15 draws, win% 45. Second comes Sourav Ganguly with 21 wins in 49 matches, win% 42.85.

Most successful Indian skipper at homeDhoni's captaincy record: 30 matches, 21 wins, 3 losses, 6 draws, win % 70. Second comes Mohammad Azharuddin with 13 wins in 20 matches, win % 65.

Most runs as India captainDhoni's numbers: 3454 runs, 5 hundreds, 24 fifties, avg 40.63. Second comes Sunil Gavaskar with 3449 runs with 11 hundreds and 14 fifties at an avg of 50.72.

Highest individual score by an Indian captainDhoni's numbers: 224 off 265 against Australia in 2013. Second comes Sachin Tendulkar with 217 off 344 against New Zealand in 1999.

Highest individual score by a wicket-keeper captainDhoni's numbers: 224 off 265 against Australia in 2013. Second comes Mushfiqur Rahim with 200 off 321 against Sri Lanka in 2013.

Highest individual score by an Indian wicket-keeperDhoni's numbers: 224 off 265 against Australia in 2013. Second comes BK Kunderan with 192 against England in 1964.

Most dismissals and most catches by an Indian wicket-keeperDhoni's stats: 294 dismissals - 256 catches and 38 stumpings. Second comes Syed Kirmani with 198 dismissals - 160 catches and 38 stumpings.

Most dismissals in a match by an Indian wicket-keeperDhoni's numbers: 9 dismissals - 8 catches and 1 stumping against Australia in 2014. Nayan Mongia (twice) and Dhoni himself (thrice) occupy the second spot with 8 dismissals.