MS Dhoni, former Indian cricket team captain, has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame. The ICC on Monday announced that Dhoni, Australia’s Matthew Hayden, South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Graeme Smith were among the latest inductees in the ICC’s Hall of Fame. “With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals and 538 matches across formats for India, Dhoni’s numbers reflect not just excellence but extraordinary consistency, fitness and longevity,” the ICC wrote in a press statement..

Dhoni was joined by Australian batting great Matthew Hayden, South African duo of Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla as well as former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori as five men’s cricketers were added to the list. Also inducted into the elite group were former England wicketkeeper-batter Sarah Taylor and ex-Pakistan captain Sana Mir.

“It is an honour to be named in the ICC Hall of Fame, which recognises the contributions of cricketers across generations and from all over the world. To have your name remembered alongside such all-time greats is a wonderful feeling. It is something that I will cherish forever,” MS Dhoni said after being bestowed with the honour.

MS Dhoni is the only Indian cricket team captain to lead the side to triumphs in the ODI World Cup, the T20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Under him, India also reached the No. 1 spot in Tests. While Dhoni, 43, has retired from international cricket, he continues to play in the IPL.

“MS Dhoni’s early performances had already marked him out as a player of composure and clarity. It was enough for the selectors to take a bold call and hand him the captaincy for the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2007,” the ICC said in a release.

“The timing was delicate. India had endured a disappointing exit in the group stage of the 50-over World Cup earlier that year, and the squad for the T20 edition was a young, largely untested group, missing many of the senior stalwarts of Indian cricket. Expectations were modest where India were far from tournament favourites.

“But under Dhoni’s leadership, a new generation of players emerged – Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik, among others – all playing fearless cricket.

“That approach paid off spectacularly. India went on to lift the trophy, beating arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling final and etching their names in history as the first T20 World Champions.”