Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Monday awarded an honorary doctorate by De Montfort University after the conclusion of a Twenty20 practice match against Leicestershire.
Dhoni was praised for his exemplary leadership quality and achievements before he became an Honorary Doctor of
Letters at a ceremony in Leicester.
Dhoni has achieved many milestones in his career. Under his captaincy, the Indian team won in the 2007 ICC world
twenty20 championships, the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank one day series and most recently the 2011 cricket world cup.
He holds records for the most catches in an innings and the longest unbeaten run as a captain. He also holds the award
for the fastest century scored by an Indian wicket keeper.
In 2008 and 2009, Dhoni was also named the ICC's one-day international player of the year.
Dhoni is currently captaining the Indian team, which has been whitewashed 0-4 in the just-concluded Test series by
England.
The limited overs series will start with a one off Twenty20 match on August 31.
Dhoni's big break came when he was discovered by the BCCI in India's small-town talent-spotting initiative while playing in Jamshedpur in 2003.
In the same year he was picked for the India A squad and in the few years that followed Dhoni was selected for the one
day international tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan.
"I am amazed and honoured to receive this award," said Dhoni. "I see this award as an honour for not only me as the
captain of the Indian cricket team but for something for the whole team to be proud of," he said.
Speaking about the award, Vice-Chancellor of DMU, Professor Dominic Shellard, said: "De Montfort University is
honoured to join with our key partner, Leicestershire County Cricket Club, in recognising Mahendra Dhoni's significant
sporting achievements, in the presence of many of our staff and students."
