Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

“Dhoni is there, he will handle it” | Fan tribute to the great MS Dhoni on his 40th birthday | Dhoni Hai Na, Sambhaal Lega

Usually, the streets in Ranchi are completely empty at night with pin-drop silence. But on the night of 2nd April 2011, Ranchi gathered at its heart to celebrate the victory of its prince when he hit that final six 1,724 kilometers away in the Wankhede Stadium.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a household name in India. The man who took Indian cricket to the heights of glory. Dhoni is arguably the most celebrated cricketer in India. All the birthday wishes for him not only from the cricket fraternity, but from everyone who celebrated his match-winning sixes, and who felt heartbroken when he failed, shows the immense love and respect Dhoni has earned.

Who would have thought that a long-haired boy from a small town like Ranchi will do things that no one has ever done before?

Dhoni as captain was one of the best in the history of cricket. He is the only captain in the history of the game to win all the three ICC trophies.  India won the Asia Cup twice under him. India achieved the number one rank in Test cricket for the first time under Dhoni’s captaincy. Dhoni has 3 IPL titles to his name. He scored 10,000 runs in ODIs while batting at number 6 or below. The list of Dhoni’s achievements is indeed a very long one.

Be it the 2007 World T20 triumph against Pakistan when no one thought that India would even qualify for the knockouts, his iconic six to win the World Cup in 2011, or a young team built and led by Dhoni to win the ICC 2013 Champions Trophy, each of them was a special itself.

All the players who have played with him respect Dhoni immensely. The backing and support he gave to the players as the captain was his specialty. Backing Joginder Sharma to bowl the final over in 2007 World T20 or Ishant Sharma to bowl a very important overs when he was going for runs, or backing Ruturaj Gaikwad in the IPL after his string of low scores are some examples of that.

Dhoni’s international cricket career was very special. He inspired a lot of young kids like me, who grew up watching him do wonders on the cricket field. From witnessing his brutal hitting in the long hair to him just smiling and moving away after receiving the trophies, we’ve lived these moments with him.

Dhoni’s impact on Indian cricket is unparalleled. Indian fans used to shut off their TVs when Sachin got out. Dhoni made them glued to their TV screens until he was there no matter how bad the team situation was.

Dhoni’s legacy is people forgetting about all of their problems and celebrating like a festival on the streets all over India after his memorable six to win the 2011 World Cup.

Dhoni’s legacy is not the runs he scored, the sixes he hit, or the trophies he won, “Dhoni Hai Na, Sambhaal Lega” (Dhoni is there, he will handle) is his legacy. His legacy is the belief every Indian cricket fan had in him.

India will never get a player like Dhoni. He is special, one of a kind. Happy Birthday, Mahi.

Written by Robin Rounder. Follow Robin on Twitter today.

Also read: Happy birthday, MS Dhoni – Twitter reactions