Calcutta: Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked in at the Eden at 1.10 pm on Friday. And for the next three hours all eyes were on him. Every move, every step... the photographers, the cameramen and motley crowd watched minutely.

The Jharkhand captain, in town for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, had a football session with his teammates, then bowled off-spin to youngster Ishan Kishan and then batted for 50 minutes.

Five overs against the likes of Varun Aaron and Vikas Singh and five overs against spin. He was very harsh with the spinners as he went for the drives and the cuts. And Vikas had a injury scare when a straightdrive bruised a finger. Later the Jharkhand team management said there is nothing to worry about.

"He is an inspiration, a legend to me," young Virat Singh said at the media conference.

"It is great that he is with us. It feels nice to share the dressing room with him. There are so many things I would like to learn from him," he said.

So what would he try to learn from the former India captain? "His leadership qualities, the way he handles pressure situations and the way he stays calm and composed.

"I respect him so much that I keep a distance. But whenever I want to know something, he is always there," Virat said.

Ishank Jaggi also said it's a great experience sharing the dressing room with Dhoni. "It's a great advantage and a learning process for juniors like us. I try to learn from him.

"He comes to our rooms to share his ideas with us. Mahi bhai does not carry the stardom with him.

"He helps me a lot. Previously my game was defensive but he asked me to change my style to survive in the international standard.

Virat played a stellar role in the last match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. "I wanted to make the most of the opportunities and thankfully I got the runs.

"Now Vijay Hazare is starting from Saturday and I want get some more runs under my belt. That would also make my captain happy," the youngster said.

As Virat was speaking to the media, the crowd outside the Eden Gardens was swelling. The fans wanted to have a glimpse of their favourite MS.

Dhoni came out of the dressing room and found that the team bus had not yet arrived. "Let's go inside then," he told team manager PN Singh.

Five minutes later, the bus came. The assembled crowd started chanting "Mahi Mahi". Taking a window seat Dhoni waved. The crowd roared.

By the way, CAB president and Dhoni's first India captain was at the Eden, but the duo couldn't meet on Thursday. A photo opportunity missed.