Mahendra Singh Dhoni turned back the clock on Wednesday when the former Indian captain and also the former South Eastern Railway Train Ticket Examiner took his first train ride in more than 13 years, choosing to travel by train with the Jharkhand one-day cricket team.
The Jharkhand captain travelled in second-tier AC of the 18616 Kriya Yoga Express from Ranchi to Howrah to participate in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Kolkata, reported PTI.
Fans who have seen his biopic MS Dhoni: The Untold Story will remember the theme of trains in his journey as a cricketer as he worked as a ticket inspector from September 2001 till July 2004 in Kharagpur, before making it to the Indian team.
Dhoni also posted a selfie from the train journey on his Instagram page.
“They (Jharkhand) did not have a special coach reserved for them and Dhoni travelled with his team and other co-passengers in 2AC. They had a block booking for 23 passengers including Dhoni,” South Eastern Railway chief public relations officer Sanjoy Ghosh told PTI.
Asked about the logistics, Ghosh said that they had prior information about and had therefore arranged special security as the team boarded the train at in Ranchi at 9.40 pm on Tuesday and disembarked in Howrah at 6.50 am on Wednesday morning.
Dhoni, who stepped down as India’s limited overs captain earlier this year and was let go as captain of the Indian Premier League franchise Rising Pune Supergiant, will lead his state Jharkhand in the star-studded Vijay Hazare Trophy. Jharkhand begin their campaign against Karnataka at Eden Gardens on February 25.