Fifteen years ago on 23rd December, a young man from Ranchi burst on to the cricket scene making his One-Day International debut against Bangladesh in Chittagong. Back then, it was not quite his skills that drew the attention of everyone but his funky hairstyle and swagger that he carried along with him on the cricket field. Little did one know, that he would someday transform into one of the finest captains Indian cricket has ever produced.

On Monday, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni completed 15 years in international cricket. His debut, however, was a forgettable one, with him getting out for a duck. He failed to make any impact during that tour but the 2005 home series against Pakistan saw him make a statement and how.

Since then, Dhoni has made his way close to the very top on the the list of Indian cricket legends.

With 17266 runs across all formats for India, the Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batsman has been one of country’s most impactful cricketers, leading the Men in Blue to two World Cup titles.

Under Dhoni India transformed into one of the most successful limited-overs sides in world cricket and he is the only Indian captain to have won all the three major ICC trophies – the World Cup in 2011, the T20 World Cup in 2007, the Champions Trophy in 2013. He also led Team India to the number one spot in ICC Rankings in Test and ODIs.

The past few months might not have been the most memorable for Dhoni, with a lack of clarity on his future after a rather forgettable World Cup campaign but that should not take anything away in celebrating his contributions to cricket in India.

With Dhoni completing 15 years for India, there were tributes on Twitter hailing his contribution to Indian cricket:

https://twitter.com/iamgb007/status/1208924665902587904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1208924665902587904&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.ndtv.com%2Fcricket%2Fms-dhoni-completes-15-years-in-international-cricket-kings-xi-punjab-lead-wishes-on-twitter-2153027