Did Dhoni attend the first India and New Zealand T20I in Ranchi?

During the 10th over of the IND vs NZ, 1st T20I match, the television crew pointed their cameras towards one of the boxes wherein Dhoni was seen sitting with wife Sakshi.

Former India captain MS Dhoni outside the Indian cricket team’s dressing room on the eve of the 1st T20 match against New Zealand. | Photo Credit: Swapan Mahapatra

World Cup-winning captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday attended the first Twenty20 International match between India and New Zealand at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi.

During the 10th over of the match, the television crew pointed their cameras towards one of the boxes wherein Dhoni was seen sitting with wife Sakshi.

The spectators were immediately up on their feet as chants of “Dhoni! Dhoni!” and “Mahi! Mahi!” rent the air. The Chennai Super Kings talisman smiled and acknowledged the crowd with a wave even as the cameras also panned to show the ‘M. S. Dhoni Pavilion’ on the big screen.

The South Stand was named after the former skipper in February 2019.

Interestingly, earlier on Friday, Dhoni Entertainment Private Limited, a production house promoted by the power couple, announced that Ivana and Harish Kalyan will be among the lead actors in its first Tamil feature film, ‘Let’s Get Married’ .

Dhoni had also turned up for India’s practice session on Thursday. The social media handle of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video where the Ranchi superstar could be seen sipping on some coconut water while sharing a light moment with captain Hardik Pandya, wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, who is presently India’s top-ranked ODI batter after scoring three centuries in his last four 50-over innings, and No. 1 T20I batter and vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav.