Ranji Trophy semi-final: Jharkhand mentor Dhoni reaches Nagpur to cheer his boys, crowd thrilled

Indian limited-overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni reached Nagpur by a chartered flight on Sunday and went straight to cheer his state side Jharkhand in their Ranji Trophy semi-final clash against Gujarat.

Dhoni, who is the unofficial mentor to the Jharkhand cricket team, doesn't play the longer version of the game ever since retiring from Tests but often practices with the Jharkhand players during the domestic First-Class season.

Here he can be seen watching the post-lunch session on Sunday:

.@msdhoni watching the post-lunch session in Nagpur. His team needs some inspiration with Gujarat 107/1 and Panchal 63*. #RanjiTrophy pic.twitter.com/yK2gLxQFNd

— Saurabh Somani (@saurabh_42) January 1, 2017

The 300-odd people in attendance soon forgot about the match once Dhoni made his entry. Chants of "Dhoni, Dhoni," could be heard all around the ground.

Only time will tell whether Dhoni's pearls of wisdom to his state-mates will reap them benefits in the on-going tie. Nonetheless, it is good see a player of Dhoni's stature acknowledging the importance of the Ranji Trophy and making his presence felt at the ground.