MS Dhoni draws huge cheers as India great watches first ODI at Edgbaston
Birmingham, July 14
Former India captain MS Dhoni returned to the cricket spotlight on Tuesday, drawing a roaring reception from the Edgbaston crowd as he watched the opening ODI between India and England from the stands in Birmingham.
The 45-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was spotted during England's innings. When the stadium cameras focused on him, loud cheers filled the ground as fans recognised one of India's greatest cricketers. Dhoni was there with his wife, Sakshi, and daughter Ziva, enjoying the match from the stands.
Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon also added to the star-studded atmosphere. She was seen watching the game and, being linked with London-based businessman Kabir Bahia, attracted a lot of attention as cameras captured her enjoying the action at Edgbaston.
Dhoni's appearance came just days after he celebrated his 45th birthday at Trent Bridge, where he watched the third T20I between India and England. The former captain has been following India's white-ball tour of England and has remained one of the biggest draws even while off the field.
During the match, Dhoni also caught up with former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik. Their interaction quickly went viral on social media as fans embraced the reunion of the two former teammates.
On the field, all-rounder Axar Patel brought out his career-best performance of 4-62 as Joe Root was left stranded on the other end at 76 to guide England to 258 all out in 47.5 overs in the first ODI against India at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday.
England bounced back from a dramatic middle-order collapse to post a competitive total after Joe Root and Liam Dawson put together a fantastic 121-run partnership for the seventh wicket in the opening ODI against India.
Ben Duckett scored 43 off 45 balls, and Jacob Bethell added 14 off 31, giving England a strong start. They managed to put up 61 runs for the opening wicket while effectively handling Jasprit Bumrah's opening spell. This was Bumrah's first ODI game in 968 days.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Honestly, I'd rather have Mahi back in the dugout than some of these current players. Jasprit Bumrah returning after 968 days is huge, and Axar Patel's 4-62 was brilliant. But Dhoni's presence just makes everything better. Love how Dinesh Karthik and him caught up too!
Nice to see Dhoni enjoying some time off in England. The guy carried Indian cricket for over a decade. And credit to Root and Dawson for that 121-run partnership — that's some fightback. But seriously, Bumrah bowling after almost 3 years? That's the real story here!
Okay, but why is the article also talking about Kriti Sanon? 🙄 Let's focus on the cricket, please! Dhoni's calmness and aura are unmatched. Even in the stands, he's a captain figure for the fans. Would love to see him mentor the team officially someday.
MS Dhoni at Edgbaston — just feels right. He's done so much for Indian cricket that even watching him in the crowd is special. Bumrah's return is exciting, though I wish we had the old attacking approach from the top order against England's 258. Need a solid chase now!
Thala for a reason! Even abroad, the crowd goes mad for him. But on a serious note, England's 258 looks under-par after that Root-Dawson stand. Axar was brilliant, and Bumrah's return after 968 days — that's almost 3 years! He'll be rusty but class is permanent.
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