MS Dhoni and his love for Ranchi
RANCHI: In the two years of cricket that Ranchi has witnessed after the opening of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association stadium, MS Dhoni has ensured making a statement every time he has visited it. Sunday will be the first time Ranchi won’t see their favourite son on the field.
As India captain or while leading the Chennai Super Kings, Dhoni has been at his flamboyant best in Ranchi. Last year, the local police was a little taken back when they found Dhoni escorting the Chennai Super Kings team bus in his Hummer. The next day he took the spectators by surprise by sporting a new haircut.
More than speaking about his obvious affection for Ranchi, Dhoni has always tried to show it in his actions. In Ranchi’s first international match last year, in the third ODI against England, he ensured the winning runs came from his bat as the crowd chanted ‘Dhoni, Dhoni’.
And even though some fans took out their anger by pelting his house after rain led to abandoning of the next ODI against Australia, Dhoni never vented his anger in public. Most people believe it is due to Dhoni’s insistence that Ranchi was given the right to host Chennai Super Kings in this year’s IPL. The stadiums were almost full every time CSK played.
But with a thumb injury keeping him out, the fifth ODI in Ranchi could see sparse attendance. “He is the biggest draw every time his team plays here. But since he won’t play, the ticket sales haven’t been brisk. We are expecting around 20,000 people tomorrow,” said a local official. “We don’t even know if he is in Ranchi,” said a team official after arriving on Friday.