Even after his retirement, MS Dhoni received the loudest applause from the crowd during the first T20I between India and New Zealand on Friday, January 27 at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi.

As the big screen zoomed in on him, the former India captain greeted the crowd. The crowd erupted in delight upon seeing the legendary wicketkeeper-batter in the stadium. Dhoni travelled to his hometown with his wife Sakshi to see Men in Blue in action.

MSD + Ranchi = 🤩

When the Ranchi crowd welcomed the legendary @msdhoni in style 😃👌#TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/40FoEDudSv

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 27, 2023

Dhoni had previously visited the Indian dressing room on Thursday. While drinking coconut water, he interacted with the players following Team India’s training session.

Hardik Pandya and co. will look to win the T20I series against New Zealand after a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series. Pandya has led the Men in Blue to 2-1 and 1-0 series wins in T20Is against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, respectively, following the T20 World Cup 2022.

In the current match, New Zealand scored 176 in the first innings after Team India won the toss and chose to bowl first. The visitors reached this score courtesy of Devon Conway and Daryll Mitchell’s half century. While chasing the target India lost their top order relatively early and cheaply.

MS Dhoni will captain Chennai Super Kings (CSK) once more in the IPL 2023. He was re-appointed captain after Ravindra Jadeja stepped down last season. The franchise will be looking to win their fifth IPL title and pay tribute to Dhoni in what is expected to be his final IPL season.

Dhoni confirmed in November 2021 that he wants to play his final T20 in Chennai. He stated:

“I have always planned my cricket. My last home game, the ODI version, was in Ranchi. Hopefully, my last T20 will be in Chennai.”

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