Indian cricket star Virat Kohli has returned to the national fold after months away, thanks to the upcoming ODI series against South Africa scheduled to begin later this week. The veteran batsman made an immediate impact upon his arrival in Ranchi by paying a visit to former captain MS Dhoni's residence in what fans are calling the reunion of the year.
Heartwarming Reunion Captivates Social Media
Shortly after landing in Ranchi, Kohli headed straight to Dhoni's home for a dinner gathering that also included Test captain Rishabh Pant. The most memorable moment came when Dhoni took Kohli for a ride through the streets of Ranchi, creating an instant viral sensation when Star Sports shared the video on social media platforms.
The video, captioned "Reunion of the year," immediately set social media ablaze with enthusiastic responses from cricket fans worldwide. One fan perfectly captured the moment by commenting, "Chemistry this real doesn't need dialogues," while the official Gujarat Titans account joined in with clever wordplay: "When in Ranchi, it's always m̵y̵ ̵w̵a̵y̵ ̵o̵r̵ ̵h̵i̵g̵h̵w̵a̵y."
ODI Series Details and Squad Updates
Virat Kohli arrived in Ranchi on Wednesday ahead of the first India versus South Africa ODI match scheduled for November 30 at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium. The three-match series will see KL Rahul leading the Indian team, with subsequent matches planned for Raipur on December 3 and Vizag on December 6.
The Indian squad faces significant challenges with key players missing due to injuries. Regular ODI skipper Shubman Gill will be absent after suffering a neck injury during the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata and is currently undergoing medical assessment in Mumbai. The team will also miss vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, who sustained a spleen injury during the third ODI against Australia in Sydney.
Kohli's Stellar ODI Record
Virat Kohli returns to the ODI format with an impressive statistical legacy that makes him one of the greatest batsmen in the history of 50-over cricket. The former captain is the second-highest run-getter in ODIs of all time and holds the distinction of being the fastest player to reach milestones of 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, 12,000, 13,000, and 14,000 runs.
In his remarkable 305 ODI appearances, Kohli has accumulated 14,255 runs and holds the record for most centuries in the format with 51 hundreds to his name. His return comes at a crucial time as India looks to redeem itself after losing the two-Test series against South Africa in what many considered an embarrassing performance.
The complete Indian squad for the ODI series includes: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (Captain and Wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Dhruv Jurel.
