Ahmedabad, March 9 India's historic T20 World Cup victory here has brought back the enigmatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni to social media after nearly two years, and he used the opportunity to tell head coach Gautam Gambhir how good a smile looks on his intense face.
Dhoni's last Instagram post was back in 2024.
"History is made in Ahmedabad, big congratulations to the team and support staff, and to all the fans of the Indian Cricket Team worldwide. It's a pleasure to see you all play," he posted after attending the final, in which India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs to win the trophy for a record third time.
"Coach, your smile looks great on you. The combination of intensity and a smile is a killer, very well done. Enjoy, guys… I don't want to write anything about Bumrah. CHAMPION BOWLER (It's better if I don't write anything on Bumrah)," he quipped, referring to Gambhir's mostly serious demeanor.
Gambhir responded to Dhoni, saying he felt nice to see the former captain at the stadium.
"And what a reason to smile, great seeing you," commented the former opener, who played a key role in India's title wins in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup under Dhoni's leadership.
It was a display of all-round brilliance by the Suryakumar Yadav-led India on Sunday night as top-order batters Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, and Abhishek Sharma went on a rampage to help the team score a record 255/5 after being invited to bat by the Kiwis.
Bumrah then produced a masterclass to take four wickets for a mere 15 runs in his quota of overs.
Dhoni was India's first T20 World Cup-winning captain when he led the team to the trophy in the 2007 inaugural edition, before a Rohit Sharma-led side added a second title in 2024.
Rohit also attended the final on Sunday.
