Indian cricket star Virat Kohli reached Ranchi on Tuesday, sparking excitement in MS Dhoni’s hometown ahead of the first ODI of the India–South Africa series scheduled for November 30 at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium.
Kohli received a warm welcome at Birsa Munda Airport from former India cricketer and current JKCA secretary Saurabh Tiwary, who escorted him amid strict security arrangements. The veteran batter appeared calm and cheerful, acknowledging fans gathered outside the terminal, instantly creating a buzz in the city before the high-profile clash.
Team India, led by KL Rahul for this ODI series, will begin their campaign in Ranchi before moving to Raipur on December 3 and Visakhapatnam on December 6 for the remaining two matches.
Kohli enters the series after a classic performance in Sydney last month, where he anchored India’s nine-wicket triumph over Australia with an unbeaten 74 off 81 balls. The knock came after a rare phase in which he recorded back-to-back ducks for the first time in his career.
With 14,255 ODI runs and 51 centuries in 305 matches, Kohli remains India’s most seasoned batter—especially vital with captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer unavailable due to injuries.
Rahul, stepping in as stand-in captain, will rely heavily on Kohli’s experience to guide the side in familiar subcontinent conditions. India’s training sessions are set to begin shortly following Kohli’s arrival, and a full house is expected at the series opener in Dhoni’s hometown.
India squad for ODIs vs South Africa:
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.