Stand-in ODI captain KL Rahul is gearing up to erase the memories of India’s painful 0-2 Test series whitewash against South Africa with the first ODI in Ranchi, the land of the country’s most successful wicketkeeper-cum-captain, MS Dhoni.
Rahul, who made his ODI debut under Dhoni’s captaincy and scored a hundred in his maiden outing in Harare, will be expected to don a similar role in the middle-order, donning the wicket-keeping gloves and also leading the side from behind the stumps.
In the pre-match conference, Rahul lavished praise on Ranchi’s favourite son, Dhoni, who has been the leading light for several cricketers from the Karnataka batter’s generation and even his seniors, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
“We all played under him [Dhoni]. We all have been his fans. We all played together. We are all friends. To know someone like MS is a very happy opportunity to know someone as big as MS and someone so successful as an Indian player,” Rahul told reporters on Saturday.
Rahul said the Indian side will receive an added boost to win the series opener if Dhoni were to turn up at the JSCA International Stadium on Sunday afternoon, where the first of three one-dayers against a strong Proteas unit will be played.
On Thursday night, Dhoni was seen driving his former India teammate Kohli back to the team hotel after a quiet dinner at his Ranchi house. Wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant had also joined the legendary Indian duo. A short clip of the two in Dhoni’s SUV quickly spread across social media. Dhoni was at the wheel with Kohli seated beside him. Crowds lined the streets as the duo passed by, a scene that revived memories of their golden years together.
“We all respected him as a human being. If he comes to watch the match, along with the crowd, we will get more excited. Hopefully, we can win the game, put up a good performance and entertain the crowd. MS Dhoni will also feel happy that we won the game,” remarked Rahul.
Ranchi will be hosting its first ODI since 2022 and its first international match since a Test last year between India and England. Interestingly, Dhoni, who remains as the most successful captain for the Men in Blue in international cricket, played his final home game in an ODI against Australia in his hometown in March 2019.
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