Mahendra Singh (MS) Dhoni’s farmhouse in Ranchi was the unofficial team hub on Thursday night, as Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Ruturaj Gaikwad were spotted arriving for a private dinner ahead of the first ODI against South Africa. The JSCA Stadium will host the first of the three ODIs on November 30. There was nothing ceremonial or publicly planned about the gathering, but it quickly became the most talked-about moment of India’s arrival in the city.
Dhoni drops Kohli back to team hotel
Kohli, fresh off a flight from London, headed straight to Dhoni’s residence a day after. He did it after some hours of practice alongside Rohit Sharma and the Indian team. A few hours later, Dhoni himself drove Kohli back, and fan-shot videos of him at the wheel outside the team hotel set the internet on fire. Meanwhile, Pant and Gaikwad were also seen heading in earlier.
Virat Kohli and Rishabh pant and Ruturaj Gaikwad were invited for dinner at MS Dhoni’s farmhouse in Ranchi tonight.
( hookah party) Gang
pic.twitter.com/koG3OySiyK
— Aditya (@AdityaBhatia009) November 27, 2025
Kohli’s return becomes the centre of attention ahead of SA ODIs
It is always heartening to see Kohli and Dhoni together. While the IPL remains the only platform where two Indian giants share the same stage, they are known to have great camaraderie off the field. It was under Dhoni’s leadership that Kohli became a popular figure in the Indian team.
It was also the former CSK captain who made Kohli’s iconic nickname, “Cheeku”, famous. Back in 2022, when Kohli stepped down as the Indian Test captain, he revealed that many had his contact number, but only Dhoni called him and asked about his well-being. Together, Kohli and Dhoni batted 80 times and mustered 3090 runs at an average of 47.53 for India.
The Indian team touched down in Ranchi, still bruised from the 408-run defeat in Guwahati. South Africa whitewashed India comfortably, putting enormous pressure on head coach Gautam Gambhir. Now come three ODIs, where Kohli returns to the side as he and Rohit Sharma play only the 50-over format. With Shubman Gill ruled out, Kohli’s reliability in the top order significantly increases too. Kohli last played an ODI on October 25 in Sydney, signing off with a match-saving fifty.
Pant, returning to ODIs after more than a year, arrives under scrutiny after a poor Test series, while Gaikwad has earned his recall through great domestic form. KL Rahul will lead India in the 3-match rubber.
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