Mohammad Azharuddin introduced the 'helicopter shot' way before MS Dhoni made it famous - WATCH

An exemplary example of MS Dhoni's iconic helicopter shot was witnessed during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka at Wankhede, a moment which saw the Men In Blue lift their second World Cup trophy.

Mohammad Azharuddin introduced the 'helicopter shot' way before MS Dhoni made it famous.

Apart from his cool demenaour both on and off the pitch, fans fondly remember Mahendra Singh Dhoni for his signature 'helicopter shot'. The image of the former India skipper executing the helicopter was so captivating, that Pepsi even dedicated an ad on it.  

Another exemplary example of Dhoni's iconic helicopter shot was witnessed during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka at Wankhede, a moment which saw the Men In Blue lift their second World Cup trophy, since Kapil Dev's 1983.    

However, after Dhoni, many tried to emulate the wicketkeeper-batsman and some even succeeded in hitting the shot perfectly.

Before the shot became famous because of the legendary wicketkeeper-batsman, there was another former India skipper, Mohammad Azharuddin, who had a knack of pulversing the opposition bowlers with the helicopter.   

Azharuddin, who himself was a great batsman, in a contest against South Africa had once smashed five consecutive fours to Proteas all-rounder Lance Klusener. Azharuddin's carnage against Klusener also saw him play the helicopter shot.  

Here is the video: 

Azharuddin, who is regarded as one of India's most prolific captains, made his international debut in an ODI against England in 1985 and has led the the country in 221 matches across formats.

Azharuddin has 99 Test and 334 ODI caps under his name and has amassed over 15,000 runs in both the formats combined, which include 29 hundreds and 79 fifties.