MS Dhoni gets invitation for Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya

Former Indian captain MS Dhoni received a formal invitation on Monday (January 15) for the upcoming Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

It is slated to happen on January 22 in the presence of several eminent personalities of the country, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have already been invited from the cricket fraternity.

MS Dhoni returned to India after enjoying New Year celebrations in Dubai with friends and family. He also recently commenced his preparations for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, where the stalwart will lead the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise.

Dhoni was spotted doing net batting practice sessions at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium in Ranchi. He played through IPL 2023 last year while managing a knee injury. Dhoni immediately underwent surgery after winning the final against Gujarat Titans (GT) and has now completed his rehabilitation for the same.

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"I always keep talking to Mahi bhai"- Team India all-rounder Shivam Dube on his equation with CSK captain MS Dhoni

Team India all-rounder Shivam Dube made a magnificent comeback into international cricket with two strong performances against Afghanistan in the ongoing three-match T20I series.

He scored two match-winning half-centuries at a good strike rate and also picked up two wickets with the ball in two games. In a video shared by BCCI, Shivam Dube gave some credit to MS Dhoni for his improvement and said:

“I always keep talking to Mahi bhai. He is such a big legend. I always keep learning from him, by seeing him and observing him. He has told me a couple of things about my game. He always rates me, saying I play well. If he rates me, then that gives me motivation to keep playing well, because of which my confidence is very high."

He continued:

“It’s very special because I came into the Indian team after a long time and got an opportunity. It was very important especially because when you chase, a batter’s thinking in T20s is always to finish the game. I finished the game for the team, so felt really good."

Dube will get another chance to push his case for a spot in the Indian 2024 T20 World Cup squad during the third T20I against Afghanistan, slated to be held on Wednesday (January 17).