India vs Australia: MS Dhoni Fever Grips Sydney Ahead Of India-Australia First ODI - Watch

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is arguably one of the most popular Indian cricketers. Over the years, Dhoni's enigma on and off the field has been unrivalled. The 37-year-old might have been out of action for quite some time now but he still continues to be a huge crowd favourite. Ahead of the first one-day international (ODI) against Australia in Sydney, the former captain attended Team India's practice session and met the fans who had gathered to watch the visiting team train. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) posted a video on their official Twitter handle, where Dhoni can be seen signing a few autographs and clicking pictures with the fans at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

MSD fever at the SCG post practice. Humble as always, @msdhoni signed a few autographs for the fans who had gathered to watch #TeamIndia train before the 1st ODI #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/AoBsBf2WyF

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 11, 2019

The World Cup-winning captain is a part of India's 16-man squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series, which starts on Saturday.

Dhoni is most likely to be in action at the SCG (January 12), Adelaide Oval (January 15) and MCG (January 18).

Australia's limited overs skipper Aaron Finch lauded MS Dhoni's decorated international career ahead of the ODI series opener.

"I think the way that he's led India under the most extreme cricket scrutiny for a long time has been unbelievable," Finch was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

"I think that he's obviously one of the all-time greats of the game. It will be a sad day if he doesn't come back to Australia after this tour, he's a brilliant entertainer and someone that people pay money to come through the gates to watch."

In 2018, Dhoni struggled to get going with the bat but Rohit Sharma, on Thursday, backed the veteran wicket-keeper batsman, saying he will play a pivotal role for India in the World Cup.

"Over the years we have seen what sort of presence he (Dhoni) has in the dressing room and on the field. With him being around, there is a sense of calmness in the group, which is very important, and also a bit of help to the captain because he stands behind the stumps," Rohit said.

Dhoni, who made his 50-over debut for India in December 2004, has 16 international centuries to his name and effected more than 800 dismissals behind the stumps.