MS Dhoni arrives in home town Ranchi for 3rd ODI versus Australia

Team India fought hard to clinch an eight-run win over Australia in the second ODI played in Nagpur on Tuesday and will now go for the kill in the third match scheduled in Ranchi on Friday. However, apart from the fact that India will look to seal the five-match series in the next game, interest will also be around the performance of MS Dhoni, the local boy who might be playing his farewell game in front of his home audience.

The JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi is comparatively a newer venue which started hosting international games since 2013. So far, it has hosted one Test, four ODIs and two T20Is and India have played a game in each format against Australia here. While the Test match played against Australia in March 2017 was drawn, the ODI played between the two sides in October 2013 was washed out by rain after an innings while in the T20I, India thumped the Aussies by 9 wickets in October 2017.

India have a 2-1 record in ODIs and 2-0 in the T20Is at the venue. They, however, lost their last ODI played here against New Zealand in October 2016. Dhoni led India in three ODIs here while Virat Kohli led in one.

Here is the video of Dhoni arriving at the Ranchi airport:

Ranchi – Look who's here – @msdhoni 🦁🦁#TeamIndia #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/yH9vPG6vQY

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 6, 2019

That the atmosphere will be charged up in Ranchi during the third ODI against Australia was understood when Dhoni on Wednesday set his foot at a packed airport where the fans assembled to get a glimpse of their hero. Clad in the blues, the former India captain came down in the escalator with officials around him and walked out of the door. He was alone.

Dhoni has an ordinary record in ODIs in Ranchi

Dhoni fell for a golden duck in the game against Nagpur, one of its favourite hunting grounds, after scoring four half-centuries against Australia on the trot. In Ranchi, though, the 37-year-old has an ordinary record of just 21 runs in three games at an average of 21.00 with the highest score of 11. However, in wicket-keeping, he has the best record on this ground in ODIs with seven dismissals from three outings (six catches and one stumping).

[interaction id=”5c7f76e50e019fbbdb6b60c3″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from India vs Australia series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.