New temple to honour Indian cricketer

Fans of Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni are building a temple to worship him.

Work will begin in Dhoni's hometown of Ranchi in eastern India next month. Carvings of the sportsman in action will decorate the temple, which will have a white marble statue as its centrepiece.

"Dhoni is God to cricket and we have decided to construct a temple. He will be worshipped like other gods are worshipped in temples," said Dhoni fan club president Jitendra Singh.

When asked for his thoughts on the building, Dhoni admitted that it was "a little over the top". However, Indian cricket historian Boria Mazumdar described the gesture an example of the country's passion for the sport.