Dhoni preparing practice pitch at home in Jharkhand

World cup-winning India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is using his rest period to overlook work on a practice pitch at his farmhouse in Simalia, near Ranchi

Dhoni preparing practice pitch at home in Jharkhand

World cup-winning India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is using his rest period to overlook work on a practice pitch at his farmhouse in Simalia, near Ranchi

India and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni plans to stay on top of the game even while on holiday. Dhoni, who is in Ranchi with his family, is using his spare time to overlook the work on a practice pitch he is having prepared at his farmhouse in Simalia 30 kms from Ranchi.

MS Dhoni. File Pic/ Ramesh HS

A family member told MiD DAY that Dhoni will stay in Ranchi for six days after which he will head to Mumbai for a commercial shoot. During this time, Dhoni, a canine lover, will spend time with his pets Sam and Zara.

He will also be overlooking the work on a practice pitch he is having prepared at his farmhouse in Simalia, 30kms from Ranchi, the source revealed.

Dhoni arrived to a hero's welcome in hometown Ranchi on Wednesday. Hordes of people crowded the streets of Ranchi to catch a glimpse of their superstar, who returned home after 101 long days and in that exile conquered the world ufffd quenching India's 28-year long thirst for a second World Cup and more recently led CSK to its second consecutive IPL triumph.

People waved frantically and threw flowers, as Dhoni, accompanied with wife Sakshi, traveled to his Harmu Bypass home from Ranchi airport.u00a0

Sajid Khan, a corporate employee from Ranchi, couldn't hide his excitement as he spoke about his brief encounter with Dhoni, as he stood among a crowd of hundreds throwing flowers on his hero: "It's a proud moment for Ranchi. Seeing the World Cup-winning skipper from so close is something I will never forget."u00a0

Now after the masses, it's the officials' turn to felicitate Dhoni but his packed schedule is hindering their preparations. Jharkhand State Cricket Association Secretary Rajesh Verma said: "This is the ideal time to felicitate him.

"But unfortunately, our president (Amitabh Chowdhury) is out of the country." Chowdhury is the Indian team's manager in West Indies.

"We'll see what is the suitable time for both parties. We are planning to felicitate Dhoni's father Pan Singh on July 31," he added. Dhoni will be on tour in England at that time.

Meanwhile, Jharkand government is also planning to felicitate Dhoni, and is negotiating a suitable date with him.