Mahendra Singh Dhoni Leading India From the Front, Even on Twitter

Dhoni has completed 5000 runs while chasing.

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Mahendra Singh Dhoni's legend as a limited overs captain continued to grow in World Cup 2015 Down Under as he led India astutely through to the quarter-finals. The defending champions qualified for the last-eight unbeaten in the group stages, thanks to some sharp bowling and consistent efforts by the batsmen, but experts have hailed Dhoni's remarkable captaincy for the incredible turnaround after a horrid tri-series performance. (Full World Cup Coverage)

Dhoni became the most mentioned Indian player on Twitter during the group stages of the World Cup. Following him were the likes of Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) and Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45), Kohli (@imKohli), R. Ashwin (@ashwinravi99) and Suresh Raina (@ImRaina). (Who Plays Who in Quarters)

Dhoni, besides his leadership qualities, has also shown typical poise in two tricky chases. Against the West Indies, when India were in a spot of bother, Captain Cool steered the innings with a composed, unbeaten 45. India were again in the doldrums in their last league game against Zimbabwe but Dhoni, the finisher, showed his prowess again, this time cracking an unbeaten 85 in an unbroken 196-run stand with centurion Suresh Raina. India were saved the blushes and emerged victorious in Auckland. (Miracles Happen When Team Believes in Captain, Says Ian Chappell)

Not surprisingly, given his charisma and the ability to finish off high chases, former cricketers seem to think Dhoni has a greater aura than Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian team. For most Indian fans, the wicketkeeper-batsman from Jharkhand is indeed their biggest hero in the current squad - even ahead of the likes of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan.

Dhoni's form with the bat also saw him go up two places in the ICC ODI rankings for batsmen. The Indian captain is now eighth on the list.