Mahendra Singh Dhoni, commonly known as MS Dhoni, is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian national cricket team. He was born on July 7, 1981, in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India.

Dhoni started playing cricket at a young age and made his debut for the Bihar cricket team in the 1999-2000 season. He later moved to Jharkhand, which had become a separate state, and made his debut for the Jharkhand cricket team in the 2003-2004 season.

Dhoni made his debut for the Indian cricket team in 2004 in an ODI against Bangladesh. He soon established himself as a talented wicket-keeper and a powerful middle-order batsman. He played a crucial role in India's victory in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, scoring an unbeaten 22 runs in the final against Pakistan.

In 2007, Dhoni was appointed as the captain of the Indian cricket team in all formats of the game. Under his captaincy, India won the 2007-2008 Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia, the 2010 and 2016 Asia Cups, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, and reached the number one ranking in Test cricket in 2009.

Dhoni is known for his calm and composed demeanor on the field, which earned him the nickname "Captain Cool". He is also known for his finishing abilities and is regarded as one of the greatest finishers in limited-overs cricket.

Dhoni retired from Test cricket in 2014, but continued to play ODI and T20 cricket for India. He announced his retirement from international cricket in August 2020, bringing an end to an illustrious career spanning over 16 years. He remains one of India's most successful cricket captains and a beloved figure in Indian cricket history.