Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today reflected how times have changed from his debut years when some cricketers confused Ranchi with Karachi and now the Jharkhand capital is on the cricketing map.
"Just before my debut I was in Kenya. When I scored a century several people asked me where I belong to. When I said Ranchi, they said, okay, after partition your Mummy and Papa must have come to this side. I said not Karachi, Ranchi (confusing Ranchi with Karachi)," Dhoni said here.
Dhoni said he, however, managed to stop further dialogue and moved on.
Addressing the inaugural function of the Country Cricket Club at the JSCA Sadium here, Dhoni said the JSCA Stadium has given Ranchi international recognition as the name comes on the cricketing map and people would know about the place when the game is played in the stadium.
"Whichever foreign player I interacted with, everyone has said this is one of the best stadiums in India and among the top two in the world where cricket is played," Dhoni said.
"When I first saw the site of this stadium it was difficult to imagine that the stadium can be like this," he added.
Dhoni shared his experience after JSCA president Amitabh Choudhary, the brain behind the state-of-the-art stadium, said the cricketer had made Ranchi popular.
Gracing the occasion, Jharkhand Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar also praised the stadium and its facilities.
