July 7th marks the birthday of one of the greatest cricketers of all time, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who turns 44 this year. Born in 1981, Dhoni is part of a legendary group of cricketers who were born in the same year and went on to leave an indelible mark on the sport. Their contributions to cricket and their nations have been both invaluable and unforgettable.
Today, as Dhoni turns 44, CricTracker lists down five such legendary cricketers born in 1981, which has another Indian in the list apart from the former Indian skipper.
Top 5 Cricketers born in 1981 who became legends
5. Graeme Smith—February 01, 1981
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test skippers of all time. He was appointed as captain at the age of 22, and remains South Africa’s youngest Test captain and one of their most successful leaders till date.
He scored double centuries in his third and fourth matches as skipper, and went on to lead his side to eight away Test series wins without a single series loss between 2007 and 2013. He also became the first player to captain over 100 Tests, calling it quits in March 2014 against Australia.
