By IANS
Ranchi : Hundreds of fans of Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni erupted in joy at his hometown here to celebrate the team’s historic victory over Australia in the Commonwealth Bank One-Day tri series in Sydney Tuesday.
Dhoni fans gathered around his house in Mecon colony and danced to drum beats and smeared red, pink and green ‘abir’ (powder) on one another’s faces. Another group of fans gathered at Albertv Ekka roundabout in Ranchi and burst firecrackers, converting the Indian victory into both Holi – the festival of colours – and Diwali – the festival of lights.
“This is a historic win. India defeated Australia in their homeland. This is a great moment for the Indian cricket team and the people of Ranchi,” said Kawaljeet Singh, a fan of Dhoni.
Echoing similar sentiments, another fan, Mohan, said: “It was the capable leadership of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni that ensured victory against Australia.”
“The Australian skipper had announced that there would be only two matches in the final, and India has proved the statement true by defeating them in both matches,” said Vinod Narayan, another cricket enthusiast.
Tribal people, who have little interest in the game, had prayed to their gods for victory of the Indian team. The tribal people of Jharkhand are closely associated with hockey. Jharkhand has produced scores of hockey players of national and international level.
A group of 20 tribals gathered near Hatma Basti in Ranchi and sacrificed a hen on Saturday in the belief it would ward off evil sprits from the Indian team.