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Charismatic captain
He is one of the most charismatic captains in contemporary cricket.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni started off as a stop-gap captain, leading India for the first time in a Test against South Africa at Kanpur in 2007-08.
India was trailing in the series 0-1 after two Tests, but he won the Test on captaincy debut and India levelled the series. Since then he hasn't looked back.
Known as the 'Man with the Midas touch', Dhoni enjoys a record most captains would love to replicate. Under him, India is yet to lose a series.
Following are the series in which Dhoni led India in at least two matches.
| Series | Season | Result |
| v South Africa in India+ | 2007-08 | drawn the 3-match series 1-1 |
| v Australia in India# | 2008-09 | won the 4-match series 2-0 |
| v England in India | 2008-09 | won the 2 match series 1-0 |
| v New Zealand in NZ$ | 2008-09 | won the 3 match series 1-0 |
| v Sri Lanka in India | 2009-10 | won the 3 match series 2-0 |
| v Bangladesh in Bangladesh* | 2009-10 | won the 2 match series 2-0 |
| v South Africa in India | 2009-10 | drawn the 2 match series 1-1 (coming from behind) |
| v Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka | 2010 | drawn the 3 match series 1-1 (coming from behind) |
+ captained only in the last Test of the series.
# the series comprised four matches, but Dhoni captained only in second and fourth. Kumble captained in first and third.
$ the series comprised three matches, but Dhoni captained only in two (first & third). Sehwag captained in the second Test.
* Dhoni captained India in only the second Test, Sehwag captained in the first.
Dhoni's win percentage is 62.50
After 16 Tests, Dhoni's winning percentage stands at 62.50, which is the joint third highest for any captain in Test cricket (having captained his respective side in 15 or more matches).
Most successful captains in Test cricket
| Mts | Won | Lost | Drawn/Tied | Won% | |
| S Waugh (Aus) | 57 | 41 | 9 | 7 | 71.93 |
| RT Ponting (Aus) | 71 | 47 | 12 | 12 | 66.20 |
| DG Bradman (Aus) | 24 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 62.50 |
| MS Dhoni (Ind) | 16 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 62.50 |
| DR Jardine (Eng) | 15 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 60.00 |
| FMM Worrell (WI) | 15 | 9 | 3 | 2/1 | 60.00 |
Fourth largest run chase by India
India's run chase in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo was the fourth largest fourth innings target successfully chased by India. Out of India's five largest successful chases, three have come since 2000.
Highest fourth innings successful chases for India
| Target | Opponent | Venue | Season | Margin |
| 403 | West Indies | Port-of-Spain | 1975-76 | 6 wickets |
| 387 | England | Chennai | 2008-09 | 6 wickets |
| 264 | Sri Lanka | Kandy | 2001-02 | 7 wickets |
| 257 | Sri Lanka | Colombo PSS | 2010 | 5 wickets |
| 254 | Australia | Mumbai BS | 1964-65 | 2 wickets |
Laxman is fourth Indian to score century for a winning cause
VVS Laxman became only the fourth Indian to score a century in the fourth innings of a Test for a winning cause, joining the ranks with Gundappa Viswanath, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
The following table lists Indian batsmen's highest scores in the fourth innings of a Test, which India went on to win.
Highest scores in the fourth innings for a winning cause
| Runs | Opposition | Venue | Season | |
| GR Viswanath | 112 | v West Indies | Port of Spain | 1975-76 |
| SR Tendulkar | 103* | v England | Chennai | 2008-09 |
| VVS Laxman | 103* | v Sri Lanka | Colombo PSS | 2010 |
| SM Gavaskar | 102 | v West Indies | Port-of-Spain | 1975-76 |
| SC Ganguly | 98* | v Sri Lanka | Kandy | 2001 |
| AL Wadekar | 91* | v Australia | Delhi | 1969-70 |
Raina's unique record
Suresh Raina ended the match in style with a six off Welegedara. He thus became only the third Indian to accomplish the feat of finishing a Test match on winning note with a six.
Interestingly, in the first Test of the just-concluded series, in Galle, Dilshan had hit a six off Harbhajan to win the match for Sri Lanka.
Indian batsmen winning a Test with a six
| Batsman | Bowler | Opposition | Venue | Season |
| Kapil Dev | Phil Edmonds | v England | Lord's | 1986 |
| Harbhajan Singh | Heath Streak | v Zimbabwe | Delhi | 2001-02 |
| Suresh Raina | Chanaka Welegedara | v Sri Lanka | Colombo PSS | 2010 |