The two megastars have had plenty of memorable partnerships on the field with Ranchi's JSCA International Stadium playing host to one of them. (X and File)Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni reunited on Thursday for their customary meeting in Ranchi when they shared dinner together at MSD’s residence. After dinner, the two former India captains were seen leaving Dhoni’s residence with the 44-year-old host driving Kohli. With India set to take on South Africa in the 1st ODI in Ranchi, Kohli had reached the city on November 26 to join the ODI squad.
The two megastars have had plenty of memorable partnerships on the field with Ranchi’s JSCA International Stadium playing host to one of them. Back in January 2013, Dhoni and Kohli both lined up for India in JSCA, hosting its first-ever ODI encounter, against England in the 3rd match of the 50-over series.
Chasing 155 runs set by England after they batted first, Kohli scored 77 runs and stayed unbeaten with home town hero Dhoni at his side, who scored 10, as India trounced the visitors by 7 wickets in just 28.1 overs.
Both teams came into this match tied at 1-1 in the series with England winning the first match in Rajkot, followed by India’s win in the second match in Kochi. The third match in Ranchi as well as the 4th match in Mohali was won by India before England notched up a win in the last and final ODI in Dharamsala. India ultimately won the series 3-2.
With the 2027 World Cup firmly in his focus, Kohli will look to make an impact in the upcoming South Africa ODI series. The Indian icon has already hung up his boots from T20Is after helping India win the T20 World Cup in 2024 before retiring from Tests earlier this year.
He won the Champions Trophy in the ODI format earlier this year and then played for the country after almost 7 and a half months when he returned for the Australia series Down Under in October. He didn’t have an ideal start to the series, getting out for back to back ducks in the first 2 ODI matches before roaring back to form with 74 runs in the 3rd ODI.
Dhoni, meanwhile, will be lining up for the Chennai Super Kings for the next IPL set to take place in 2026. In the last couple of editions, Dhoni’s future has been the talk of the town whenever the new IPL seasons begin. It was speculated that Dhoni would hang up the boots after helping Chennai to their 5th IPL title in 2023 but the Ranchi superstar has still continued to represent the franchise, remaining tight-lipped on any questions regarding his future.
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