On Mahendra Singh Dhoni's birthday, a look at his best performances

Former Indian skipper and batter M S Dhoni on Wednesday marked his 40th birthday. While he announced his retirement from international cricket in August last year, his powerful hitting remains etched in the memory of all Indian cricket fans.

The wicket-keeper played 90 Tests, 350 one-day internationals and 98 Twenty20s for India since his debut in 2004.

A look at Dhoni's notable innings:

— Dhoni put aside scores of zero, 12, seven and three to announce himself in his fifth ODI with a match-winning 148 against India's arch-rivals Pakistan.

Coming in one-down in a team that included Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag, Dhoni stole the limelight with his 123-ball blitz. The wicketkeeper-batsman smashed 15 fours and four sixes to guide India to 356 and a 58-run win in Visakhapatnam.

It was never easy to take the crease after Tendulkar in an Indian stadium. But after the superstar fell for just two during a Jaipur ODI, a young Dhoni tore into the Sri Lankan attack with an unbeaten 183.

The devastating knock helped India chase a target of 299 and made the cricket world take notice.

It remains his highest-ever ODI score.

— With India chasing Sri Lanka's 275 on home soil in the ODI World Cup final, Dhoni -- who had earned the nickname "Captain Cool" -- soaked in the pressure to hit an unbeaten 91.

He whacked Nuwan Kulasekara for six to win the final in Mumbai, triggering wild celebrations in cricket-mad India, whose fans had waited 28 years for an ODI World Cup.

The innings, and the final shot over the fence, cemented Dhoni's status as one of India's greatest ever cricketers.

While best-known for his explosive batting in limited-overs formats, Dhoni often stamped his authority in Tests too.

— In the first match of a four-Test home series, Dhoni hammered the Aussie attack led by Mitchell Starc for 224 at Chennai in an innings that lasted more than six hours.

India won the Test, and went on to whitewash the visitors as Dhoni established himself as one of India's most successful captains.

— Dhoni led India to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup, beating Pakistan in the final at Johannesburg. And while he never scored a T20 hundred, he made a difference with numerous key knocks.

— Among the most memorable Dhoni T20 innings is the 56 against England in Bangalore in 2017 -- his highest T20 score. With wristy flicks and big hits down the ground, the skipper guided India to 202 and a comfortable win.

(with inputs from AFP)