Ranchi celebrates Dhoni birthday

Friends and well wishers of Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday celebrated his birthday as the cricketer completed 31 circles around the Sun.

Ranchi: Friends and well wishers of Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday celebrated his birthday in his absence but with much fanfare as the cricketer completed 31 years.

Dhoni, who was born in 1981, is out of Ranchi along with his wife, said one of his close friends. Wishing Dhoni, his club-time coach Chanchal Bhattacharya said, "My wish has always been to see Dhoni holding cups. Let his team win all future championships and all-version series." Bhattacharya said Dhoni`s parents and other members of the family celebrated his birthday at home. The Kaya, a salon where Dhoni usually drops in to have a hair cut when in town, also celebrated his birthday by cutting a cake. "We have been celebrating Dhoni`s birthday for the last few years, and today about 20 students gathered at the institute, cut cake and distributed sweets to mark the day," said the Director of Indus Fashion Academy M S Hussain. Musician Raj Kumar Pathak, a keen follower of Dhoni, said he was composing a song for the cricketer. Dhoni made his debut in 2004. He has played 67 Tests, 206 ODIs and scored 3,509 and 6,773 runs respectively. He scripted the World Cup victory after 28 years, besides lifting the first T20- World championship. PTI