The first match of the three-match T20 International between India and New Zealand is being played in Ranchi's Jharkhand Cricket Association Cricket Stadium, Friday. Local hero MS Dhoni, the two-time World Cup winning skipper, who put Ranchi on the map with his inspiring success, still lives there. The legendary wicket-keeper batter was spotted in the stands, watching the high-octane thriller.
ALSO READ | 'Misinterpretation': Djokovic On Viral Pics Of His Father With Fans Holding Russian Flags
Photos have gone viral on social media in which Dhoni and his wife Sakshi can be seen inside the stadium, watching the game.
Earlier, when team India players were training at the Ranchi stadium on the eve of the IND-NZ fixture when MS Dhoni paid a surprise visit to India's dressing room.
In the pre-match press conference, India captain Hardik Pandya had revealed that Dhoni had met the Blues ahead of the series opener.
“Mahi bhai is here which is good as we get to meet him. We can get out of the hotel also (to meet him). Otherwise, the way we have played in the last one month, it has just been hotel to hotel. And when we meet we try to talk about life rather than the game. When we played together I learned a lot from him. I have squeezed a lot out of him (knowledge), there is not much left,” Pandya told reporters in pre-match press conference in Ranchi on Thursday.
India and New Zealand have played 8 T20I series against each other, out of which India won 4 and New Zealand won 3.