After train ride from Ranchi, MS Dhoni to stay at CAB Academy in Kalyani

After surprising all and sundry with his train ride from Ranchi with his state team Jharkhand, former India captain MS Dhoni is all set to stay at the CAB Academy in Kalyani along with his team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy Group D matches. “Initially, we wanted to stay here at the hotel but now we will leave tomorrow evening and return to Kolkata after the match,” Jharkhand team manager PN Singh was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

This was the first time Dhoni travelled in train since 13 years. Dhoni’s stay at Kalyani is bound to mean a big security concern given his popularity in the nation but the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has left no stones unturned in ensuring that the venue where Dhoni and his team will be staying is well equipped and has all the facilities.

“It has 30 well-furnished rooms and is no less than a four-star hotel,” a CAB official was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times about the venue which is around 50 Km away from Eden Gardens. Jharkhand is scheduled to play Vijay Hazare clashes against Services and Jammu and Kashmir on February 28 and March 6 respectively.

We will have a barricade around the academy and there will be tight police vigil by the district administration,” the CAB official further added. Dhoni who scored a terrific century for Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare match which gave Jharkhand their first win of the tournament was mobbed by the public as he found difficult to board the bus. Given his stardom in the country, it was expected. Crowds started chanting his name and taking photos of the greatest ever Indian captain.

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After seeing the overwhelming response from the crowd in the two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches involving Dhoni, CAB has decided to distribute 2,000 free passes for spectators. “The entry will be free to BCA Academy but one has to show the pass to watch the match,” the CAB official said.

Dhoni stepped down from India’s limited overs captaincy very recently before the start of the series aginst England and handed over the reign to Virat Kohli. He was later removed as the captain of his IPL franchise Rising Pune Supergiants and was replaced by Australian captain, Steven Smith.