Old Image of MS Dhoni Watching a Match at Ranchi Stadium Passed off as Recent

We found that the image dates back to January 2023, when Dhoni was attending the Ind vs NZ T20I match.

Fact-Check | The image is old and dates back to January 2023.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A photograph of former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his wife, Sakshi, is being circulated on social media platforms as a recent visual from the Ranchi stadium in Jharkhand.

An X (formerly Twitter) premium user shared the image with a caption that said, "MS Dhoni Arrived in Ranchi Stadium to watch Gautam Gambhir Tears."

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X/Screenshot)

The above post had garnered over four lakh views on the platform. More archives of similar claims could be viewed here, here, and here.

What's the truth?: The image dates back to January 2023 and shows Dhoni attending a match between India and New Zealand at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi. This makes the claim misleading.

How did we find that out?: A simple Google Lens search on the viral image directed us to a video uploaded on the official Instagram handle of the Indian cricket team.

• It was shared on 27 January 2023 with a caption that said, "...The Ranchi crowd welcomes the legendary @mahi7781 in style. #TeamIndia | #INDvNZ | @mastercardindia.

• This made it clear that the visuals were actually from an old match between India and New Zealand at the stadium in Ranchi.

News report: A report published in NDTV said that Dhoni was seen attending the first T20I between India and New Zealand at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi.

• When the former captain waved at the camera with a smile, the crowd was heard breaking into 'Dhoni' chants.

The report was last updated on 27 January 2023.

(Source: NDTV/Screenshot)

About the recent game in Ranchi: The Indian side played an ODI match at the JSCA stadium in Ranchi against South Africa, which saw the former team winning by 17 runs.

• Star batter Virat Kohli was awarded 'Player of the Match' after he scored 135 runs in 120 balls.

Conclusion: It is evident that the image is old and is being incorrectly shared as a recent visual.

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