The many highlights of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's glittering career
New Delhi: As Mahendra Singh Dhoni bids adieu to international cricket, here is a look at the career highlights of India's most successful captain, who led the country to two World Cup trophies.
December 2004: Dhoni makes his international debut against Bangladesh in an ODI at Chittagong.
October 2005: Promoted up the order to accelerate scoring, Dhoni smashes an unbeaten 183 off 145 balls, the then record of the highest individual score in ODI cricket in the second innings. Dhoni also wins Man of the Series award after India's 3-0 triumph in the five-match rubber.
December 2005: Dhoni makes his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Chennai.
September 2007: Dhoni takes over the reins of ODI captaincy from Rahul Dravid.
September 2007: Dhoni equals Adam Gilchrist's international record for most dismissals (6) in an innings in ODIs. Dhoni also becomes captain of the Indian squad for the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa. He leads a young Indian side to victory against Pakistan in the final. He takes the risk of picking an inexperienced pacer Joginder Sharma instead of Harbhajan Singh to bowl the last over that eventually pays off.
August 2008: Dhoni leads India to its first-ever bilateral ODI series victory in Sri Lanka.
August 2008: Dhoni wins the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award.
November 2008: Dhoni makes his debut as full-time Test captain of India during the fourth and final Test against Australia at Nagpur, replaces Anil Kumble who was injured in the third Test.
December 2008: Dhoni wins the ICC ODI Player of the Year honour.
March 2009: Dhoni leads India to its first bilateral ODI series victory in New Zealand.
April 2009: Dhoni honoured with the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour.
December 2009: Under Dhoni's captaincy, India tops the ICC Test cricket rankings for the first time.
December 2009: Dhoni retains his ICC ODI Player of the year award, becomes the first player to win it twice.
May 2010: Dhoni leads Chennai Super Kings to their maiden Indian Premier League title. CSK beat Mumbai Indians by 22 runs in Mumbai.
April 2011: Dhoni plays his most memorable match-winning unbeaten knock -- 91 off 79 -- balls against Sri Lanka in the World Cup final to help India lift the trophy after 28 years. He finishes the match with a huge six over long-on off Nuwan Kulasekara and wins the Man of the Match award.
May 2011: With Dhoni as captain, Chennai Super Kings retain the IPL, beat Royal Challengers Banglore by 58 runs in the final in Bengaluru.
November 2011: The Indian Territorial Army confers the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel on Dhoni.
March 2013: Dhoni becomes the most successful Indian Test captain, eclipses Sourav Ganguly's record of 21 victories from 49 Tests.
June 2013: India wins the ICC Champions Trophy under Dhoni's captaincy, beats England by five runs in the final. Dhoni becomes the first captain to win all three ICC trophies.
February 2013: Dhoni powers his way to his first double hundred in Tests. He scores 224 off 365 balls, most runs by an Indian wicketkeeper in an innings surpassing Budhi Kunderan's 192.
March 2013: Under Dhoni's captaincy, India beats Australia 4-0 at home for the first time in a Test series.
April 2018: Dhoni receives the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour.
May 2018: Under Dhoni's captaincy, Chennai Super Kings win their third IPL title by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Vartha Bharati–Sankalp predictions align closely with Karnataka bypoll results
Bengaluru: The Vartha Bharati–Sankalp election analysis has shown a high level of accuracy in predicting the outcome of the recent Karnataka Assembly by-elections held in May 2026, correctly calling winners in both constituencies and closely estimating vote share trends.
The by-elections were held in Bagalkot and Davanagere South, drawing significant political attention as both seats were seen as key tests for the ruling Congress and opposition BJP.
According to the analysis, Vartha Bharati–Sankalp had made three major projections ahead of the results the winning party, vote share percentages, and margin of victory.
In both constituencies, the platform accurately predicted that the Congress would emerge victorious. The outcome matched the projections, with Congress candidates winning in Bagalkot and Davanagere South.
In terms of vote share, the predictions were largely in line with the final results. In Bagalkot, the BJP’s vote share was forecast in the range of 40 to 46 per cent, while the actual figure stood at 42.9 per cent. The Congress vote share, however, exceeded expectations, with the party securing 55.4 per cent against a projected range of 43 to 48 per cent.
The margin of victory in Bagalkot turned out to be significantly higher than anticipated. While the projection had placed the margin between 2,000 and 3,500 votes, the final margin was around 22,332 votes.
In Davanagere South, the predictions also remained largely accurate. The Congress vote share was projected between 43 and 51 per cent, and the final figure stood at 43.9 per cent. The BJP was expected to secure between 42 and 50 per cent but ended with 40.3 per cent.
The analysis had also identified the role of SDPI as a potential spoiler in the constituency. While its vote share was estimated around 6 per cent, the party eventually secured around 12 per cent of the vote.
The margin of victory in Davanagere South was predicted to be between 1,500 and 2,600 votes. The actual margin was higher at around 5,708 votes, though the contest remained relatively close as anticipated.
Overall, the performance of Vartha Bharati–Sankalp stood out for correctly identifying the winning parties in both seats and maintaining close accuracy in vote share estimates, with only limited deviations in specific cases.
