MS Dhoni rules cricket in India. He is not just a player, he is an icon. He is a brand. He is an emotion for the billion fans who love this game. And rightly so. He is India's most successful captain. He has his own style of leading the game. He reads the game like no other individual on the planet does. And the result of all of this is India's success in the time he was the captain.

He is one of the major reasons why India is enjoying being the powerhouse of cricket today. With every step Indian cricket evolved. It started with Kapil Dev's men winning the 1983 world cup by doing the unthinkable. Then it was revolutionalized by bringing the winning instinct under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly. And finally it was MS Dhoni's 2007 T20 world cup triumph which paved the way for IPL, changing Indian cricket forever.

These three captains always have a special place in the hearts of Indians. Kapil Dev won one ICC tournament in the form of 1983 world cup. Sourav Ganguly won ICC trophy once in the form of 2000 champions trophy. Whereas MS Dhoni boasts a total of 3 ICC titles in the form of 2007 T20 world cup, 2011 world cup and 2013 champions trophy. It was his in reign, when success rate of Indian team was the highest in big matches including the ICC tournaments.

Lot of people tried to do an analysis on how MS leads the team like no other , but they have failed. It's his quality of being unpredictable even for the closest of his friends and family members, which makes him different. If your closest members cannot predict what you're going to do, how can the opposition captain and players think about what's your move !

This is the exact reason for his success as a batter as well. Another major contributing factor is the calmness of the guy. His calm and composed behaviour is one of the reasons why he could make it to the national team after struggling really hard to play while working for Railways. And what further aids all these is his mental toughness, which allows him to perform , even when odds go against him. That's why, after a golden duck on debut and after 4 failed outings, he managed to thrash Pakistan bowlers to different parts of Vizag stadium.

The above mentioned are the reasons for his immense success as a player and a batter. As a captain, there are even more reasons for what makes his so special. The most important of it is he knows how to make the team play together. He knows the importance of team bonding, and thereby helps the team's case by respecting his seniors at times and also criticizing the at times when they are not coming to team's cause. Furthermore he himself as a senior is open to all the youngsters for all their issues. As said by one of the players, Dhoni's room is always open for the youngsters to come and share whatever they want to. This massively helps the team members to trust their leader, for whom they are ready to do everything.

And the last quality, blended with all others mentioned ,which makes him the best is his homework. He knows what to do in every situation as he has practiced for it beforehand. Which is why he is calm in most of the cases. The homework and beforehand preparation was visible right from his first match as a captain , because Dhoni was the only captain in the 2007 T20 world cup which asked the team to practice bowl out. And everyone knows, that right in his first match as a leader, the practice helped India win against Arch-rivals Pakistan.

His immaculate field placements were a result of the homework. It helped many of Indian youngsters come ahead and be the superstars of the nation. Most of the bowlers have confessed saying that Dhoni makes most of their work easy, as they just have to follow his instructions. And when they do, they get the results. He knows exactly how to dismiss every batter who is coming on the crease. And that has been the strongest contributing factor for India in most of the crucial matches in ICC tournaments, which is clearly missing today.

His concentration is immense. And that results in having one of the strongest reflexes. He has the record for quickest stumpings, and no one can match his level of quickness. His focus further helps him to get accurate reviews helping the team. Rarest are the occasions when his reviews have not gone in the team's favour. When he appeals, there is a indirect pressure on the umpire as well who knows how accurate Dhoni is.

Dhoni is a very complex person. Otherwise how in this world would someone have more than 10000 odi runs while batting at number 5 or 6 ! He could've gotten more runs, but it was his selflessness to demote himself from number 3 to lower numbers. He gave his most successful batting position to youngsters so that they get a chance to improve. And he was happy to be the finisher for his team. And more happy were the Indians knowing that the best finisher belongs to India.

The biggest positive of MS Dhoni is that he used his weakness to his advantage. He is not the technically most correct batter. His technique is not by the books. Neither is it eye pleasing. But it didn't bother him , as he got the runs without the required technique. It increased bowler's confusion as to where to bowl to get the desired result. And while doing so, he innovated some of the most exquisite shots. A yorker is the most dreaded ball for any batter, and getting it out of the way was a challenge. But Dhoni's helicopter shot showed that a yorker could be deposited in the stands. His unconventional technique discovered newer ways to hit the ball.

An excellent finisher, sharp wicket keeper with the quickest hands, and the best possible leader together combined was MS Dhoni. To compare it with the dominant Aussies of 2000's , Dhoni was a combination of Bevan's finishing abilities, Gilchrist's keeping, and Ponting's leadership in one person. Resultant of which ,he had a lion's share in almost all of India's victories in some or the other way like power hitting, wicket keeping or the perfect captaincy or a combination of all of these. And he continues to do so for Chennai Super Kings in IPL even today.

Therefore it's not a surprise to see MS Dhoni ruling hearts of the billion crazy cricket fans. He is the saviour for them. He was the one who brought India the inaugural T20 world cup with a young team. He was the one who took Indian test team to different heights. He was the one who accomplished God of cricket Sachin Tendulkar's unfulfilled dream of the World Cup. He was the man of ICC tournaments for India. He was the person India relied on. And he did it all, for his team, for his teammates, and for his country. Therefore, wherever he goes , Indians flood in to see him as they want to see their hero. He is a legend, and no one can be like him, ever. On the occasion of his 42nd birthday, we would like to wish him a very happy and healthy life and would like to thank him for all that he has done for cricket.