Happy Birthday MSD! Five reasons why Dhoni is the captain of 'Cool'

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a lot of things - a batsman who can change a game single-handedly even without boundaries, a wicketkeeper who can likes to bowl occasionally, a leader on field who commands respect even off it, a serial hairstyle-changer and role model for both players and fans.

But above all, Mahi is a cricketer like no other; in line with his ‘Captain Cool’ moniker, he is the keeper of cool both on and off the field by the sheer force of his personality. Be it his sarcastic one-liners or witty taunts, unconventional shots or gambling decisions, he does everything differently and in the coolest way possible.

As Dhoni celebrates his 34th birthday today, here is a look at what makes him stand out as the literal captain of cool.

He has the best responses to questions he doesn’t want to answer

Picture this - A T20 World Cup is going on, India isn’t performing too well and people are talking about an apparent divide in the team. What does the captain do? He brings the entire team to a press conference to portray the unity. He is asked if India’s tail is under-performing, he replies  ‘Now even PETA has said you can’t cosmetically remove the tail.’ You ask him about the controversial DRS that India refuses to accept, he says ‘We don’t need watchman who guards us 9 to 6 & then leaves us on our own’. And that’s how you respond to questions you don’t want to answer. No wonder Mahi gives us the most quotable quotes!

He has won every trophy there is to win (and wants to repeat it)

What are some of the biggest trophies in cricket that any team can win? World Cup, World Twenty20 Championship, Champions Trophy, ICC Test Mace, ICC ODI Shield and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (if you’re India). And MS Dhoni has won all of them in his decade-long career! From winning the maiden T20 World Cup in 2007 on his captaincy debut to leading India to a World Cup victory on home soil and helping India maintain the top spot in the Test rankings, he is the most successful Indian captain. (We are not even mentioning the club titles here) But this is not enough, i n the words of the man himself, “I don’t mind repeating everything.”

He can light up a match with only the stump mic

His on-field antics are not restricted to trophies alone, and he doesn’t always need a bat to light up a game, Dhoni’s conversation snippets caught on the stump mic can elicit a smile from even his staunchest critics. While most keepers will reserve the sledgng for the opposition, Dhoni doesn’t hesitate to take the mickey of his own team mates. Sample these hilarious one-liners overheard on the stump mic -

Oye Sree udhar girlfriend nahi hai, idhar aa ja thoda (Hey Sree, your girlfriend isn’t there. Move ahead.)

‘Vijay apna hi fielder hai use catch lene ke liye hi aage rakha hai, off mein ball fenk.’ (Vijay is in our team; he is placed in that position to take a catch, keep bowling on the off-stump)

‘Ye ghoomega toh Pujara ko isiliye idhar rakha hai, voh udhar taali bajaane ke liye nahi hai’ (If the ball turns, I’ve kept Pujara in the slips for catching only; he’s not standing there just to clap).

He loves his bikes

When not entertaining us on the cricket field with his shots and words, he can be found being entertained by Bollywood. In fact, his once famous locks, admired by  Pervez Musharraf  himself, was supposedly inspired by his now good friend John Abraham’s look in Dhoom. And just like Kabir, he is in love with his fast racing bikes. Dhoni owns an impressive collection of over 20 motorcycles, from a modest Yamaha to the stylish Harley Davidson and a swanky Ducati. His cars includes the Hummer H2 and the Audi Q7 and he loves to ride on the streets of his hometown in Ranchi, which has even landed him in trouble once. And his love for speed seeps into his cricket as well, be it his high strike-rate or the comparison of Indian fielding to a car engine (without hybrid fuel).

He loves his dogs even more

Dhoni loves dogs - be it his pedigree pets at home or a security dogs at stadiums or even stray dogs. He has had several pet dogs at home; Sam, a German shepherd, Zara, a black Labrador,  Zoya, a Weimaraner and Leah. He is also often seen playing with dogs at cricket stadiums and even adopted dogs from shelters. Isn’t is wonderful to see the tough Indian captain as a tender animal-lover!

Thts prince,golden retriever at the pune stadium http://t.co/ynFeTj1Rck

— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) May 1, 2013