Dhoni was an accomplished all-rounder with his smart work behind the stumps and with the bat and was known as one of the greatest finishers in limited overs cricket.

The 39-year-old scored 4 876 runs in 98 matches with 256 catches and 38 stumpings in a Test career that he called an end to in 2014.

In ODIs, he scored 10 773 runs with 321 catches and 123 stumpings, last turning out for India in the World Cup in 2019.

In T20Is, he aggregated 1617 runs with 57 catches and 34 stumpings. He scored six centuries in Tests and 10 in ODIs.

Dhoni spent 656 days as the top-ranked batsman in the ICC ODI player rankings from 2006 to 2010 and was the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2008 and 2009.

He was in the ICC ODI Teams of the Year in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and in the ICC Test Teams of the Year in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.

He won the ICC Spirit of Cricket award in 2011.

ICC chief executive Manu Sawhney said: "MS Dhoni is one of the all-time greats of the game.

"The image of his winning shot at the Wankhede Stadium in the 2011 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final is etched in the memory of cricket lovers around the world.

"He has inspired a whole generation and will be sorely missed. On behalf of the ICC, I congratulate him for an outstanding cricket career and wish him all the best for the future."

Dhoni will continue to captain the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that is scheduled to start in the UAE next month.

- TEAMtalk media