New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): India pacer Deepak Chahar extended birthday wishes to his former Chennai Super Kings teammate and captain, MS Dhoni, urging him to 'keep playing'.

'Captain Cool' Dhoni turned 44 on Monday, and wishes of fans and former cricketers poured in across the globe. Chahar took to Instagram and posted a visual of himself with Dhoni in CSK colours, with both of them smiling. He captioned the post, 'Happy birthday, Mahi bhai. Keep playing.'

Chahar shares a special bond with the former Indian captain on and off the field. The 32-year-old moved from Chennai Super Kings to Mumbai Indians before he 18th season of the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

Despite playing for different sides, the banter between the duo continued. During the encounter between two of the most successful franchises, Chahar tried to sledge Dhoni when he came out to bat while fielding at short silly point. After the CSK's victory, Dhoni gestured at hitting Chahar with the bat, as the pacer laughed and moved forward during the customary handshake between both sides.

With 17,266 international runs, 829 dismissals and 538 matches across formats for India, Dhoni is not only amongst the world's greatest players but also a revolutionary.

In 350 ODIs, he scored 10,773 runs at an average of 50.57. He scored 10 centuries and 73 fifties for India, with the best score of 183*. He is India's sixth-highest scorer in ODIs (with Sachin Tendulkar at the top with 18,426 runs). The fact that he managed to score 10,000-plus runs at an average of over 50 while coming down the order makes his statistics even more astonishing.

He led India in 200 ODI matches, winning 110, losing 74. Five games were tied, while 11 failed to produce a result. He has a winning percentage of 55.

Dhoni, known as Chennai Super Kings' 'Thala' (leader), played 98 T20Is for India, scoring 1,617 runs at an average of 37.60, at a strike rate of 126.13. He has two half-centuries in the format, with the best score of 56. He was the winning captain of India's ICC T20 WC 2007 winning team. 'Mahi' led India in 72 T20Is, winning 41, losing 28, one being tied, and two failing to produce results. His win percentage is 56.94.

Coming to his long-format career, Dhoni played 90 matches, scoring 4,876 runs at an average of 38.09. He scored six centuries and 33 half-centuries, with the best score of 224. He is the 14th-highest scorer for India in Tests.

As a captain, he led India in 60 Test matches, out of which they won 27 matches, lost 18 and drew 15. With a win percentage of 45.00, he is one of India's most successful skippers across all eras. He led Team India to the number one ranking in the ICC Test Rankings. He is also the only Indian skipper to whitewash Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, doing so in the 2010-11 and 2012-13 series.

Dhoni is just as reputable in franchise cricket, being the sixth-highest run-getter in IPL history, with 5,439 runs in 278 matches at an average of 38.30, including 24 fifties, at a strike rate of over 137. He has secured five IPL titles and two Champions League T20 titles with CSK, making the franchise one of the most popular entities in the sporting world, largely on the basis of his own brand and name. Crowds follow and different fan clubs chant 'Dhoni' 'Dhoni' in unison when the batting legend makes even as much as an appearance inside his dressing room, gearing up for a possible chance at batting.

When Dhoni broke into the national team in 2004, nobody could have imagined the heights the then-23-year-old would go on to achieve as a wicketkeeper-batter. His quickfire stumping and catching abilities, massive sixes, and the trademark helicopter shot will no doubt stay fan favourites for generations to come. (ANI)