MS Dhoni made his One-Day International debut for India against Bangladesh on December 23, 2004, however, he was dismissed without scoring a run. He didn’t get off to the best start in international cricket, but after scoring a century against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, he became a regular in both forms.
MS Dhoni’s maturity and composure led to his being named India’s captain, and he wasted no time in making a name for himself by leading India to the first T20 championship in 2007 and then the top spot in the ICC Test Rankings in 2008. His status was solidified when in 2011 he led India to their second ODI World Cup title and in 2013 he led India to a perfect Champions Trophy run.
After retiring from international cricket in 2020, MS Dhoni concluded one of the greatest cricketing careers in history with a last international appearance in the 2019 World Cup.
Several players who made their debuts around the same time as MS Dhoni have since retired from international cricket. This list features five such Indian cricketers:
1-Joginer Sharma
Joginder Sharma’s name will forever be associated with India’s 2007 Twenty20 World Cup victory against Pakistan since he bowled the winning over and took the winning wicket.
The same game when MS Dhoni made his ODI debut was also Joginder’s ODI debut. Unfortunately, he was unable to continue his career beyond 2007, and he only played in a total of four One Day Internationals and four Twenty Twenty Internationals, where he took five wickets, the most notable of which was Misbah-ul- Haq’s.
His last year of domestic cricket was 2017. In Haryana, he is presently a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
2- Subramaniam Badrinath
Subramaniam Badrinath has earned a reputation as Chennai Super Kings’ go-to guy in a pinch. Domestic legend Badrinath was a mainstay for CSK but was unable to make an impact in India. The Tamil Nadu batsman made his debut in 2008 and has since appeared in seven One-Day Internationals and two Tests, in which he has managed a single fifty. Until he finally retired in 2018, he was a consistent run machine in domestic cricket.
3-Venugopal Rao
Yalaka Venugopal Rao burst onto the scene when, as a 21-year-old, he smashed an unbeaten 228 for South Zone to help them chase down England A’s target of 501. It didn’t take long for him to get his ODI cap.
But, in 16 ODIs, Venugopal Rao managed an average of 24 and just one fifty which saw him out of the national side in a year’s time. The Andhra Pradesh batsman last played in domestic cricket in 2017. He then became a commentator for local channels.
4- Manoj Tiwary
It was clear early on that Manoj Tiwary’s professional life was going to be disappointing. The Bengal batsman was first selected for an ODI in 2008, and he played in his last ODI in 2015. He was also selected for three T20 Internationals.
The 36-year-old newcomer to politics was just elected to the position of minister for youth services and sports in West Bengal. However, he also keeps up his cricket career, having recently competed in the Ranji Trophy 2022.
5- Pragyan Ojha
Pragyan Ojha made his debut for India in 2008 and has since competed for a spot in the eleven across all formats with veterans Harbhajan and Amit Mishra and up-and-comers R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
Ojha had a lengthy career for India, appearing in 24 Tests, 18 ODIs, and 6 T20Is until his last appearance in 2013. Until his retirement in 2020, Ojha remained active in both domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League. He has been elevated to the IPL’s ruling body.
