MS Dhoni has made Ranchi famous in the world of cricket: President Ramnath Kovind

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni might have failed to win India the semi-final of the 2019 ICC World Cup against New Zealand at Old Trafford in July but his reputation is still intact. The 38-year-old hasn’t played after that match, skipping the limited-overs series against the West Indies and South Africa and the fans have been left guessing what’s in store for the wicketkeeper-batsman.

While the cricketing fraternity has remained divided over Dhoni’s future, President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday showered praise on the dashing cricketer to say that despite keeping a low profile, Dhoni is loved by people across the country. He said this after meeting Dhoni along with his wife Sakshi and four-year-old daughter Ziva at the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi on Sunday.

“MS Dhoni met me at Raj Bhavan yesterday (Sunday) as a courtesy call. I felt good. I told him he maintains a low profile but people are fond of him as he is talented,” the president said while addressing students at the 33rd convocation of the Ranchi University. “His talent reflects the talent of Jharkhand. MS Dhoni has made Ranchi famous in the world of cricket,” he added.

Besides Dhoni, President Kovind also praised some other sporting icons from the state, including archer Deepika Kumari and hockey player Jaipal Singh Munda, who had led India to win gold in the 1928 Olympics in Amsterdam.

Dhoni went for military training after World Cup

Dhoni went for a military training after the World Cup got over to skip the tour of the West Indies. His decision came at a crucial time as the fans were not too impressed with his batting performance in the showpiece event even though he slammed a fifty in the semi-final to take India closer to an unlikely victory.

Dhoni, who has scored over 10k runs in ODIs and won India two world titles – in T20Is and 50 overs – retired from Tests in 2014 in the middle of a tour of Australia. Virat Kohli took over from him and recently bettered his record as the most successful captain in Tests.