Ranchi, July 7 (IANS) Newly-married Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived here with his wife Sakshi to celebrate his 29th birthday Wednesday.

Dhoni arrived at the Ranchi airport by an Air India flight at 1.20 p.m.

Hundreds of fans and mediapersons were disappointed when he came out from the VIP gate and directly drove in a district administration vehicle to his home situated at Harmu housing colony of Ranchi. His vehicle was escorted by three vehicles of security forces.

Dhoni, dressed casually, and Sakshi, wearing a salwar kurta, were welcomed by his parents and sister at their house with traditional rituals as he came home for the first time after their marriage Sunday.

The couple came in the porch, greeted the fans and went inside.

Fans and mediapersons were waiting outside the house since morning when the news of the couple's arrival came in. The district administration was informed by Dhoni's family about his arrival.

Security personnel were deployed at his house. Women police force was deployed along with male security personnel.

Dhoni's hair style was again changed and it was trimmed more. It is said that Sakshi likes short hair which prompted Dhoni to cut his hair short despite the famous advice by former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf not to cut his tresses.

Dhoni tied the knot with Sakshi Rawat at a very private affair on the outskirts of Dehradun Sunday evening, a day after the couple's hush-hush engagement.

Dhoni has been reported to have visited Dehradun and Mussoori frequently over the last two years to meet Sakshi, with whom he studied till Class 10 at Ranchi's DAV Shyamali school.

Sakshi's father and Dhoni's father were working together in Ranchi. Her grandfather, a retired divisional forest officer, lives in Dehradun.