Mahendra Singh Dhoni tries his hands at farming in Ranchi, grows organic watermelon and papaya

In a video shared by Mahendra Singh Dhoni on his Facebook page, the star cricketer is seen with a few people in a field where organic watermelons and papayas are being cultivated. `Start of organic farming of watermelon in Ranchi followed by papaya in 20 days time. First time so very excited,` Dhoni wrote as the video caption.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jharkhand's prodigious son, is trying his hands at farming while preparing for Indian Premier League 2020. The 38-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is helping in the cultivation of watermelon and papaya in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand and his hometown

In a video shared by Dhoni on his Facebook page, the star cricketer is seen with a few people in a field where organic watermelons and papayas are being cultivated. "Start of organic farming of watermelon in Ranchi followed by papaya in 20 days time. First time so very excited," Dhoni wrote as the video caption.

In the video Dhoni is seen offering prayers and carrying out religious rituals. He lights incense sticks and then breaks a coconut as per the Hindu tradition followed by offering of flowers and sweets. Four other people are visible in the video on the field where the ceremony and farming are taking place. The field has several rows for growing watermelon and papaya. The entire field is divided into several rows and each is covered with plastic sheets which have holes in them for sowing seeds.

Dhoni, who will captain the Chennai Super Kings in Indian Premier League 2020 starting from March 29, is then seen sowing the seeds.

The IPL stint will be Dhoni's first as a compititive cricketer following India's ouster from the ICC One-Day International World Cup 2019 at the hands of New Zealand in the semifinal on July 9 at the Old Trafford in England's Manchester.

Dhoni had on February 25, 2020, shared a video featuring players of the Indian women's team taking part in the ICC T20 International World Cup in Australia. The Indian team has already secured a place in the semifinal of the event after winning its first three Group A matches defeating four-time champion Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand.