But Dhoni had made his mark. He was selected to play for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy and representing India was just one step away.
Dhoni took up a job in Indian Railways to support his family. He was a ticket collector at the Kharagpur railway station from 2001 to 2003.
His colleagues remember him as a very honest, straight-forward employee of the Indian Railways.
After successful first class seasons in 2003 and 2004, Dhoni was picked to play for the India-A team on a tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya. He excelled on this tour both as a wicket-keeper and as a batsman.