espnstar.com’s Rajarshi Gupta unveils the other side of Indian skipper MS Dhoni as he turns 28 today.

Less than five years ago, when a young man from Jharkhand walked in to bat on debut against Bangladesh, all of India watched with abated breath. Long hair, an X-man stance and broad shoulders, many wanted to see what he could deliver with the bat.

A duck was all he could muster, failing to make his ground in a moment of madness. Nerves. That would have been the general sympathy but in less than four months, cricket followers in the sub-continent realised it was far from that. Mahender Singh Dhoni was not meant to be nervous. India finally launched a rock-star on the field.

Watch Dhoni in images

Dhoni’s wicket-keeping skills were always under the scanner but his batting prowess was the new buzz in the fraternity and a blistering 148 against the visiting Pakistanis at Kochi in 2005, barely a few months after his debut made the world sit up and not only take notice but soak in the thrill.

It has been a bizarre journey. The first player to ever represent Jharkhand in the Indian team, Dhoni’s rise has been meteoric. Cricket experts across the world liked what they saw of the man, who is said to drink a litre of milk every day.

A shrewd cricketing acumen coupled with guts and a calm head, Dhoni seemed destined to make it big. He batted the same way, no matter what the circumstances were. The cricket ball had to disappear into the stands. Respecting a bowler could never have been his cup of tea.

A self-confessed bike enthusiast, Dhoni’s interests speak so much about him. He loves reading up on aircraft and has a thing for speed. Not surprising, given what was to come in 2007.

A lot had begun to change in Indian cricket. Sourav Ganguly, under who Dhoni made his debut was beginning to struggle with his form and fitness. It was a matter of time before Rahul Dravid took over and persisted with a number three slot for him when India had to notch up a huge target against Sri Lanka in 2005, soon after his Pakistani exploits.

When Dravid decided to give up the reins ahead of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in England, Dhoni was the immediate choice. He not led the nation to triumph but rounded it up with a CB Series win in Australia after which India have gone to dominate the cricketing world, more so with five successive ODI series wins over the last year.

As Dhoni turns 28 today, many would be surprised how easily he took over the Test captaincy from Anil Kumble and how ruthless he has been as a leader.

For now however, it is party time. Dhoni celebrates his birthday this evening in the lovely city of Mumbai. Last year, his celebrations got the extra spunk with Indian film stars Bipasha Basu and John Abraham. In fact, Bipasha had said she would want to join him this year as well. Tonight’s should be a moment to behold.

Want to wish Dhoni on his birthday? Write in to us at fanspeak@espnstar.co.in

Some of our readers have already gone ahead:

Siddhesh Kulkarni: Wish You Many Many Happy Returns Of The Day. I wish you are injury-free till the end of your career.

I hope you bring back the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 home.

Scott Harbor: Wish you a very happy birthday Dhoni.

Muthu Mahendran: I wish you a very happy birthday, Mahi. Best of luck forever.

Brajesh Kumar: Happy Birthday Dhoni. May God give you all the happiness in life. You have led India to glory. Keep doing what you do best.