Fans perform 'Abhishekam' ritual to MS Dhoni's 77-feet cut out in Andhra Pradesh's Nandigama

The craze for MS Dhoni in India is unmatched. Not just in India, but the former India skipper is loved by every cricket fan from around the world. During his time with the Indian national team, he left a massive impression not just as a player, but also as a tactical thinker and a brilliant skipper. He surely left a dent in the Indian team by announcing his retirement as the void has still not been filled.

Dhoni’s impact on the Indian team as well as him IPL team Chennai Super Kings has been tremendous. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter, who turned 42 on July 7, 2023, became the older captain to win an IPL title (aged 41) when CSK lifted the trophy in the most recent IPL 2023. The amount of success that MS Dhoni has seen over the years is just brilliant, and he has led the Indian side as well as CSK to equal heights.

To commemorate his 42^nd birthday, a group of fans in Hyderabad made a 55-feet tall cutout of Dhoni. Later, images of his 77-feet tall cut-out in CSK’s training kit popped up as fans and followers of Dhoni from Andhra Pradesh’s Nandigama curated it. Dhoni’s cut-out also received ‘Abhishekam’ as people stood on top of the cut-out to pour water on it.

‘Abhishekam’ is a religious Hindu ritual, which involves pouring water and other sacred substances on the deity’s statue while offering prayers.

Here's the Video:

Demi God of India@MSDhoni 🙏❤️#HappyBirthdayDhoni
MSD ICON OF WORLD CRICKET pic.twitter.com/3Mfu0WaLF5

— DHONIsm™ ❤️ (@DHONIism) July 6, 2023

MS Dhoni's craze in India among fans is on another level. Fans had prepared similar life-size cut-outs before Chennai Super Kings' IPL 2023 outing began, wishing Dhoni and the team luck for the tournament. On Friday, June 7, several current and former players of the Indian cricketing fraternity shared pictures with Dhoni on their respective social media handles and poured wishes for him in the best way possible.