MS Dhoni and Sakshi host gala dinner party for Indian team in Ranchi [Photos]

Former India captain MS Dhoni and his wife Sakshi Dhoni hosted the members of the Indian cricket team for a lavish dinner as they are currently in Ranchi ahead of India's third ODI against Australia which will be played at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association Stadium.

Several members of the Indian squad shared photos from the night and the dinner arrangements made by the Dhoni couple looked as stunning as it was grand. The photo shared by pacer Mohammed Shami on his Instagram account shows all the members of the Indian contingent – including the players and the staff – who were present at the gala dinner.

Shami captioned the photo extending his gratitude to MS Dhoni in the caption, "Thanks for lovely dinner". Leg-spin bowler Yuzvendra Chahal also shared the same photo and he captioned it, "Thank you for last night". The 28-year-old tagged both, MSD and Sakshi.

Even skipper Virat Kohli shared a picture from the dinner event on his Instagram but his picture was different from Shami's and Chahal's. Captain Kohli's picture is presumably a selfie he clicked and he is seen standing with Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Chahal and the host Dhoni. The Indian coach Ravi Shastri can be seen in the background. The 30-year-old captioned the picture, "Great night with the boys at mahi bhais place last night. Good food, fun chats all around and great energy. Perfect team evening."

India will play Australia in Ranchi on March 8 and be eager to seal the five-match series in the third match itself. If India does manage to upstage Australia for the third successive game, the management can afford to test out a few players whose inclusions they are still mulling over. One such player is Rishabh Pant and although he could replace Ambati Rayudu in the eleven, it would be wise to give the latter an extended run. Rayudu is now a certainty to travel to England for the World Cup and it will be good to give him an extended run to help him find some form.

The management will also be looking to play Kuldeep and Chahal together in this series as the two of them have not played together in a while. Whenever they are paired, the spin twins have wreaked havoc in the opposition ranks but the management has been reluctant to play them together of late because they want to have a stronger batting tail.

Following this game, India will travel to Mohali and finally Delhi to complete the ODI series before the players go their separate ways to play in the Indian Premier League.