Days before India’s ODI series against South Africa, star batsman Virat Kohli was recently seen attending a lavish dinner at MS Dhoni’s Ranchi home on Thursday night. A police vehicle escorted Kohli as he waved to supporters outside Virat Kohli property. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rishabh Pant were also spotted attending the special event at the former captain’s residence.
For the first ODI of the three-match series starting on November 30, the Indian squad travelled to Ranchi. Both Rohit Sharma and Kohli, who last participated in an ODI in Australia last month, are making their comebacks in this series. India, however, is under pressure coming into the match following a humiliating defeat in the Test series.
After arriving in Ranchi via plane from Mumbai on Wednesday, Virat Kohli showed up for the practice session the same day.
As fans gathered at the door, hoping to get a glimpse of the star batter, local footage showed him arriving with a police convoy. There were no other senior colleagues there, thus the dinner party was small. Pant and Gaikwad, however, were spotted showing up for the meal. They are both quite close to Dhoni.
View the video below:
MS Dhoni & Virat Kohli’s long drive in Ranchi. pic.twitter.com/PomdJIrK4i
— MS Dhoni Fans Official (@msdfansofficial) November 28, 2025
At the JSCA International Stadium Complex earlier in the day, Kohli was among the first players to strike the nets. He trained with Gaikwad, Rohit, and Tilak Varma. The series also has personal meaning for the seasoned hitter. He continues to serve as the cornerstone of India’s World Cup 2027 aspirations with 14,255 ODI runs and 51 hundreds. A team trying to recover from a Test leg defeat will greatly benefit from his return and Rohit’s regaining of the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings.
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