By IANS,
Ranchi : This hometown of Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni witnessed Holi and Diwali like celebration after India marched into the World Cup final, defeating Pakistan in the semifinal at Mohali Wednesday.
When Virat Kohli took a Misbah-ul-Haq skier off Zaheer Khan’s penultimate ball of the match, thousands of fans of Dhoni came on the streets shouting slogans like “India will win the World Cup”.
The sky lit up with fireworks. Fans applied colours on each other’s faces. Sweets were also distributed as fans danced to drumbeats and shouting slogans praising Dhoni.
“India will win the World Cup under the captainship of Dhoni”, the fans shouted.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda congratulated the Indian team and Dhoni for the semifinal victory. Munda hoped that Indian would win the World Cup under Dhoni.
In the morning, special prayers were offered and rituals performed to seek devine blessings for an Indian victory.
“Special prayers were performed in the morning for India’s victory. Goddess Durga has blessed Dhoni and we believe that India will win the World Cup under his captainship,” said Manoj Panda, a priest at the Deori temple in Tamar near Ranchi.
Dhoni’s fans also went to Deori temple, which the cricketer often visits.
“We arrived here for the special prayers. India will reach the final by defeating Pakistan,” said Sandeep, a fan of Dhoni.
Pujas were also performed in other temples of Jharkhand for the Indian team’s success.