Mumbai, July 7 -- As MS Dhoni turned 44 on Monday, tributes poured in from all corners of the cricketing world. Kiran More, who played a crucial role in identifying Dhoni's potential at the domestic level and backing him for the national team, recalled the star hitter's talent as he made his international debut in 2004.

More shared his first impression of the Ranchi-born cricketer, who would go on to become one of India's most iconic captains.

"At that time, if you looked at our batting order, you had Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman -- all these players. Yuvraj Singh was also there. But I felt we needed an aggressive player, who could come and hit fours and sixes, utilize the Powerplay, make runs in 15 overs, ...