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10 facts about birthday boy M S Dhoni

When the clock hit 12 last night, India's most successful cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned 34. It has been a long journey for the captain cool, from a small house in Ranchi to leading

10 facts about birthday boy m s dhoni 10 facts about birthday boy m s dhoni

When the clock hit 12 last night, India's most successful cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned 34. It has been a long journey for the captain cool, from a small house in Ranchi to leading the national cricket team.

Maahi, as Dhoni is called by his friends, was born on July 7, 1981 into a middle class family. His father Paan Singh worked as a junior management employee in a company.

He has led Team India to several trophies including a T-20 World Cup and an ODI World Cup.

On his birthday today, we bring you some interesting facts about Dhoni and some rare pictures:

1- Dhoni is born and raised in Ranchi but his parents are from Almora district in Uttarakhand.  His village's name is Talasaalam, about 40 km away from Almora.

2- Dhoni worked a Ticket Collector with the Indian Railways at the Kharagpur Railway Stadium in West Bengal between 2001- 2003, long after he made his Ranji debut.  

3- Dhoni was a goalkeeper in his school's football team before he took to cricket.

4- Dhoni is the highest individual income tax-payer in Jharkhand state and one of the highest in India. He paid Rs 20 crore income tax 2013-14.

5- Dhoni has a sister Jayanti and a brother Narendra. His sister is an English teacher in Ranchi. His brother is a politician and is associated with Samajwadi Party.