Exclusive: Little known facts about Mahendra Singh Dhoni

India captain M S Dhoni, who is currently in England for the Test series, has turned 33 today. Ever since he started playing international cricket in 2004, he has grown in stature, led the country and gone past Sourav Ganguly to become the most successful captain the country has ever had. Especially after Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement, he is the most widely discussed cricketer in India. His wealth has reached such levels that he has become the richest cricketer and, in fact, one of the richest sportsmen in the world. But the story of his life is unique. Not only was he not born into a rich or even middle-class family, he grew up in very ordinary surroundings in Ranchi. Saharasamay.com presents ten little known facts of his life as a young lad that most don't know. Popular knowledge goes that Dhoni’s father Paan Singh was a pump operator in MECON, Ranchi. The fact is that Singh did farming in Almora in Uttarakhand before his complete inability to run the family because of scarcity of money compelled to leave for a place which would allow him to meet his basic expenses. That is how Singh and his family arrived in Ranchi.