Captain Dhoni is now Dr Dhoni

Captain Dhoni is now Dr. Dhoni

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday awarded an honorary doctorate by De Montfort University after the conclusion of a Twenty20 practice match against Leicestershire.

Dhoni was praised for his exemplary leadership quality and achievements before he became an Honorary Doctor of Letters at a ceremony here.

Dhoni has achieved many milestones in his career. Under his captaincy, the Indian team won the 2007 ICC world Twenty20 championship, the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank one day series in Australia and most recently the 2011 World Cup.

He holds records for the most catches in an innings and the longest unbeaten run as a captain. He also holds the award for the fastest century scored by an Indian wicketkeeper.

In 2008 and 2009, Dhoni was also named the ICC's one-day international player of the year.

Dhoni's big break came when he was discovered by the BCCI in India's small-town talent-spotting initiative while playing in Jamshedpur in 2003.

In the same year he was picked for the India A squad and in the few years that followed Dhoni was selected for the one day international tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan.

"I am amazed and honoured to receive this award," said Dhoni.

"I see this award as an honour for not only me as the captain of the Indian cricket team but for something for the whole team to be proud of," he said.

Speaking about the award, Vice-Chancellor of DMU, Professor Dominic Shellard, said: "De Montfort University is honoured to join with our key partner, Leicestershire County Cricket Club, in recognising Mahendra Singh Dhoni's significant sporting achievements, in the presence of many of our staff and students."