Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni redefined the role of the wicketkeeper-batter in limited-overs cricket with his unorthodox helicopter shot and ice-cool finishing. He led India to the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 50-over World Cup, cementing his place as the country's most successful captain. His promotion up the order against Sri Lanka in 2005, when he hammered an unbeaten 183, announced him as a middle-order force, and his calm demeanour under pressure became his trademark.

As captain, Dhoni built a unit that reached the top of the Test rankings in 2009 and won the 2013 Champions Trophy, making him the first skipper to claim all three major ICC limited-overs trophies. He read the game superbly from behind the stumps, shuffling bowlers and fields by instinct. He often said he simply went with the flow, and those instincts rarely betrayed him.

Dhoni's wicketkeeping was among the quickest the game has seen, his stumpings a blur against spin. He retired from international cricket in August 2020, his last innings for India a fighting 50 in the 2019 World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand, ended by a run out that stunned the country. He has carried on at the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, the franchise he has led to five titles, still finishing games deep into his forties as the small-town boy who became the face of Indian cricket.