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.
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Chhattisgarh Vedanta power plant blast: Death toll rises to 20; sixteen workers undergoing treatment
Sakti (Chhattisgarh) (PTI): The death toll in a blast at the Vedanta power plant in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district has mounted to 20 with seven more workers succumbing to injuries, while 16 others are undergoing treatment at different hospitals, officials said on Wednesday.
The deceased include six labourers from West Bengal, five from Chhattisgarh, three each from Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, two from Bihar, and one from Madhya Pradesh.
The opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon in a steel tube carrying high-pressure steam from the boiler to the turbine at the Vedanta Ltd power plant located in Singhitarai village, leaving several workers with severe burn injuries.
According to officials, four workers died on the spot, while nine others succumbed to injuries soon after the incident.
Seven more workers have died in hospitals, raising the toll to 20, Sakti Collector Amrit Vikas Topno told PTI on Wednesday.
He said that a total of 36 workers were affected in the blast, and 20 of them died.
"Of the 16 injured workers, five are undergoing treatment in hospitals in Raipur, while 11 others are in hospitals of Raigarh, the neighbouring district of Sakti," he added.
Topno added that every possible effort was being made to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.
The deceased were identified, and their family members are being contacted. Arrangements have been made to transport the mortal remains to their native villages via ambulance following the postmortem examination and to provide immediate financial assistance, he said.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each deceased worker and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Vedanta Power has also announced a Rs 35 lakh compensation for the family of each deceased worker, along with employment support.
The company will also provide Rs 15 lakh to each injured person, ensure salary continuation until recovery, and offer counselling support, a statement from the plant management said.
The chief minister has ordered an inquiry by the Commissioner of the Bilaspur division, assuring strict action against the guilty.
He directed officials to ensure free and proper medical treatment for all injured and emphasised that no negligence in their care would be tolerated.
The district administration has also ordered a separate magisterial probe, while the company has initiated its own internal investigation.
Collector Topno has appointed the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Dabhra to conduct the magisterial inquiry.
The SDM has been asked to submit a report within 30 days covering key aspects, including the cause of the accident, whether it was due to technical or human error, and details of safety inspections carried out at the plant.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress has demanded registration of an FIR against the plant management and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
State Congress communication wing head Sushil Anand Shukla on Wednesday alleged negligence on the plant management's part and accused the government of attempting to shield those responsible.
He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families of the deceased and Rs 50 lakh for the injured.
The construction of a 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power project (two units of 600 MW each) in Singhitarai, originally owned by Athena Chhattisgarh Power Ltd, started in 2009, but remained stalled between 2016 and 2022.
Vedanta acquired the plant in 2022, after which a 600 MW unit was completed and commissioned in August last year, while the second unit is still under construction.
The deceased have been identified as Amrit Lal Patel, Thanda Ram Lahre, Udhab Singh Yadav, Rameshwar Mahilange, and Nadeem Ansari (all from Chhattisgarh); Susanta Jana, Sheikh Saifuddin, Manas Giri, Kailash Mahto, Shibnath Murmu, and Dipankar Singh (West Bengal), Tarun Kumar Ojha, Abdul Karim and Ashok Parhiya (Jharkhand), Raju Ram, Pappu Kumar and Brijesh Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Aakib Khan and Ritesh Kumar (Bihar), and Chitranjan Dhulai of Madhya Pradesh, officials said.
