MS Dhoni arrives in ‘second home’ Chennai

Indian stumper MS Dhoni is one of the most popular members of the Indian team in the entire country. His popularity charts in Chennai is second to none. The 36-year old has called Chennai his second home time and again as he shares a special bond with the city, having spent 8 years playing for their franchise in the IPL.

He has led the Chennai Super Kings to four titles in 8 years and was forced to play for a different franchise in 2016, following the suspension of CSK. With the franchise set to make a comeback in the next season, Dhoni looks more or less certain to turn up for them again.

Dhoni the lone cricketer to report in Chennai

On Wednesday, the former Indian skipper arrived in Chennai to begin his preparations for the ODI series against Australia. The first game kicks off at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday and the crowds will be delighted to see their champion player in action. Dhoni was the first player out of the squad of 15 to report for the series. The rest of the cricketers were expected to report on Thursday and will begin training on Friday.

The visitors had a good outing in the practice game against the Board President’s XI on Tuesday. They won the game by 103 runs but most importantly, their main players had a good hit out in the middle. Smith’s troops had an off on Wednesday and will resume training on Thursday.

After having a poor outing last year, which prompted people to contemplate on his playing future, Dhoni shunned his criticizers by producing match-winning performances this year. In 18 games this year, the right-hander has scored 548 runs at 91.33 which include a century and four half-centuries. With such brilliant form and outstanding fitness, Dhoni looks certain to last until the 2019 World Cup, a fact outlined by coach Ravi Shastri recently.