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Dhoni: Poster boy of Indian cricket

Mahi, as he's fondly addressed by his peers, started playing cricket in 1999-2000. He made his debut in domestic cricket with Bihar and was selected for a tour to Kenya in 2004 after his explosive showing with the bat. He established himself when he made a couple of centuries with Gautam Gambhir against Pakistan A team in the triangular tournament in Kenya.

In his fifth one-dayer, against Pakistan at Visakhapatnam, he cracked a scintillating 148 followed by a colossal 183 not out at Jaipur against Sri Lanka. It was here that he broke Adam Gilchrist's record for the highest score by a wicketkeeper in ODIs.

In 2005, BCCI gave him the 'B' grade contract and he was upgraded to 'A' grade only in 2007. This followed his appointment as captain of the Indian Twenty20 team for the World Twenty20 in September 2007.

Dhoni went on to become the second Indian captain to have won a World Cup in any form of cricket after the legendary Kapil Dev, who won the 1983 World Cup.

Now that the 27-year-old swashbuckling cricketer from Ranchi has become the highest paid IPL player in the country, he could perhaps add to his collection of chunky watches, his favourite accessory, and his penchant for sports bikes.