A look back at MS Dhoni's Test career

So, our "Captain Cool", Mahendra Singh Dhoni has decided to retire from Test cricket with immediate effect. There is no doubt that his retirement has left a void in the Test team which will be very hard to fill. His cool head under pressure situations and his useful contributions with the bat lower down the order, not taking into account his outstanding wicketkeeping skills, truly made him an asset for the team.Now, there are going to be countless speculations regarding the timing of his retirement as he has retired midway through the series, with one Test still left to play. However, instead of speculating over the timing of his decision, let us celebrate the Test career of one of India's greatest Test captains.Here are some of the highlights of his Test career:

#1 Early Years - Test Debut

After he captured the attention of the nation with his free-flowing style of batting and aggression coupled with consistent ODI performances, MS Dhoni finally made his much-awaited Test debut against Sri Lanka on December 2, 2005, replacing the then Indian wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik.

Though he scored only 30 on his debut, in what was a rain-affected Test match at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, it was only a matter of time before he would come out all guns blazing and make a lasting impression on the cricketing world.

#2 148 vs Pakistan -The Big Break

It wasn’t going to be too long before Dhoni started to fire on all cylinders on a consistent basis, and what a way he chose to announce himself.

Dhoni hit his first ever Test century against Pakistan at Faisalabad in January 2006, scoring a blistering 148 off just 153 deliveries. This century was all the more special as it came against an attack comprising of the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Shahid Afridi.

In the process of scoring 148, he also scored the fastest century by an Indian wicketkeeper, which came off just 93 balls. His innings helped India to draw the Test.

#3 Team India Captaincy: 2008-2014

Dhoni was appointed as the full-time captain of the Indian Test team in November 2008, following the sudden retirement of Anil Kumble. He was the vice-captain of the Test team up to this point. Following his appointment as the Test captain, the Indian cricket team embarked on a record-breaking run, eventually becoming the No.1 Test team in the world in 2009, courtesy of beating Sri Lanka 2-0 in a 3-match Test series.

#4 Regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

India had lost the rather controversial Test series in Australia in 2007-08 by a margin of 1-2, thereby allowing Australia to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

However, later in 2008, when Australia toured India for a 4-match Test series, India managed to successfully defeat Australians 2-0, thereby regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and extracting sweet revenge for their previous loss. Anil Kumble led the team in two of the four Tests, but interestingly, both of India’s wins in the series came under Dhoni’s leadership.

Similarly, after India were whitewashed 0-4 by Australia in the Test series Down Under in 2011-12, India once again managed to reclaim the bragging rights a year later, courtesy of India beating the Aussies by the exact same scoreline. It was a remarkable turnaround which wouldn’t have been possible without Dhoni's effective leadership.

#5 Test series victory in New Zealand

Under Dhoni's captaincy, India managed to win a Test series in New Zealand after a gap of 41 long years in 2009.

India won the Test series 1-0, thereby successfully paving the way for them becoming the No.1 Test team in the world a few months later. This achievement still holds a special significance as India have historically had a very poor record in New Zealand. While the likes of Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar played a crucial role in the historic series victory, the part that Dhoni’s astute captaincy played shouldn’t be underestimated.

#6 India becomes the No.1 Test team

In December 2009, the Indian cricket team became the No.1 Test team in the world and reached the summit of world cricket by beating Sri Lanka 2-0 in the home Test series.

Finally, two years of sustained excellence had gone a long way in helping India reach the pinnacle of Test cricket. Dhoni's contribution to this extraordinary achievement cannot be ignored in any sense.

The way Dhoni marshalled his troops and brought out the best out of each and every member of the team was truly exemplary. It was the trait of being calm in pressure situations which earned him the nickname of "Captain Cool".

#7 Drawn Test series in South Africa

South Africa have been one of the most formidable Test sides in the world in recent years, illustrated by the fact that they haven’t lost a Test series away from home since 2006.

There is also no denying the fact that India have always struggled to even compete in South African conditions. With that being the case, the fact that India managed to draw the series 1-1 in South Africa in 2010-11 is a great credit to Dhoni as well as the entire team. In fact, it could be argued that India deserved to win that series, with the visitors having dominated the drawn Test at Cape Town.

#8 Test series victory in the West Indies

Under Dhoni's leadership, India once again proved in 2011 that they are not poor travellers as they beat the West Indies in their own backyard.

This victory came on the heels of India's famous Wold Cup victory in 2011. India were on song and absolutely unstoppable during this record-breaking run of theirs. Once again, Dhoni's effective captaincy skills came to the fore as he never let any sort of complacency creep into the team, thus ensuring that the Indian team kept its "killer instinct" intact.

#9 Highest Test score of 224

MS Dhoni achieved his highest Test score of 224 at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai in the 2013 home Test series against Australia. Considering the fact that the Australian bowling attack comprised of the likes of James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon, this was truly a remarkable achievement.

Till today, his majestic knock of 224 remains the highest individual score by an Indian wicketkeeper and also the third highest score by a wicketkeeper overall. This knock ensured that India won the Test comfortably, and they also went on to win the series in an emphatic fashion.

#10 4-0 whitewashes in England and Australia: The beginning of the end

Starting with India's disastrous tour of England in 2011, India's Test record overseas continued to worsen considerably. The consecutive series whitewash defeats at the hands of England and Australia severely compounded Dhoni's miseries. Dhoni began to face criticism from all quarters for being a defensive captain and not being bold enough.

Also, being the captain in all the three formats of the game started taking a toll on Dhoni. As a result of this, his own performance with the bat started to deteriorate. But still, nobody thought that it would prompt Dhoni to retire. However, that has exactly what has happened.

Instead of speculating about the timing of his retirement, though, let us honour the achievements of the man and his immense contribution to Indian cricket. Dhoni ends up as the most successful Test captain of all-time for India, with 27 Test wins under his belt. He also holds many other illustrious records for Indian wicketkeepers.

In his last Test at Melbourne, he effected a total of nine dismissals, a record in itself. Here's saluting the "hero" of Indian cricket and let us all hope that under his ODI captaincy, India successfully manages to retain the 2015 Cricket World Cup, which begins in just more than a month from now.