Indian cricket icon MS Dhoni is once again back in the headlines, having heroically saved the day and winning the Asia Cup finals against Bangaldesh. Dhoni’s latest victory may have gone a long way in silencing the naysayers and critics who have questioned el capitano’s potency as a cricketer in the last four years of his cricketing career, but according to a detailed analysis on ImpactIndex, Dhoni isn’t given the credit he’s due.

Here are the researched facts, which suggest that MS Dhoni might just be the greatest Indian batsman of all time.

He’s the best captain we’ve had

No cricket captain in the past has been as succesful as Dhoni across all formats of cricket. As of today, his captaincy boasts of two world titles in 50-over ODI cricket, one world title in the T20 format besides Champions League and IPL, where he holds two titles in each format. If this isn’t enough for you, remember that it was under Dhoni’s captainship that put us on top of ICC Test Cricket rankings.

He does all of this while being an able wicket keeper

Not only is he a captain of the most cricket-obsessed country in the world, he is also a key batsman and a wicket keeper – the latter being an exteremly physical and energy-draining job.

He is India’s highest impact ODI player

According to Impactindex, MS Dhoni is India’s most high impact ODI cricket player, followed by Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar. Purely as a batsman, he stands behind Sachin and Virat. But it’s his varied skill-set that makes him the most impactful player of the lot.

He created the ‘Helicopter shot’

Prior to Dhoni’s time, there was practically no way to hita yorker for a six. Until the helicopter shot came along.

Dhoni’s batting failure rate of 39% makes him India’s most consistent batsman

Having batted mostly in the middle-order, Dhoni has had to deliver in consistently high-pressure situations. Given his batting record, he seems to have done a decent job.

He is the ninth-highest impact player in ODI history

Standing right behind titans like Viv Richards, Adam Gilchrist, Imran Khan, Andew Flintoff, Dhoni has at-least 8 series-defining performances behind him.

He is also the fourth highest impact player in T20 history

Primarily looked at as an ODI batsman, Dhoni’s T20 record is comparitively less impressive. However, the fact that he’s juggling three roles, makes him one of the most consistent players in the world with a failure rate of 11%.

He can withstand an enormous work load

Dhoni is the most overworked cricketer in the history of the sport. Given the fact that he’s a keeper and taking into account the obvious fact that our cricketing calendar is more crowded than ever, one has to remark upon Dhoni’s consistency. If anyone has to judge Dhoni’s performance as a batsman, one should do so only after considering these facts. Dhoni is a reservoir of physical energy.

He is always the captain

No matter what format of cricket he’s playing – MS Dhoni is always the captain. Not only has he led the most succesful franchise in T20 history, he has also endured all the psychological pressure that comes with being a captain, be it during his less-than-a-decade long test career, or his more prolific ODI career, in the most cricket obsessed country in the world.

He is therefore, our most consistent player ever

Having served these three, key roles for over nine years now with considerable success – Dhoni is perhaps the most consistent player we’ve had.