Former Team India skipper MS Dhoni, who holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army unit since November 2011, had been assigned patrolling guard duty in Kashmir region of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) State.
Recently, Dhoni had made himself available for the Windies tour. The star cricketer had taken a sabbatical following their semi-final game against New Zealand at the ICC World Cup 2019.
The 38-year-old veteran cricketer had joined Parachute Regiment of the 106 Para Ta battalion on July 24 (Wednesday).
As a part of his training, he will partake in drills with the particular regiment in Kashmir.
Pertinently, it is the part of his two-month training programme from 15th of July and August 19 respectively.
Subsequently, it saw the Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had accepted MS Dhoni’s request to train with a territorial army. However, he won’t be a part of any operation on the ground.
Dhoni trains in Kashmir:
According to the IANS, the sources revealed that the plan was proposed earlier and has been in the pipeline, as Dhoni had been on the national duty with Team India under the leadership of Virat Kohli.
It revealed Dhoni’s love for the army had helped him to make it have a training programme.
“Just like Dhoni has been one of the greatest servants of Indian cricket, his love for the armed forces is also well-known. This idea that he would go and spend time with his regiment was in the pipeline for a while but it took a backseat due to his cricketing commitments,” the source in know to developments told IANS.
Besides, in Agra, Dhoni had also trained with elite force in 2015.
The latest commitment will also help in raising awareness among the youth regarding the armed forces.
“This will also help increase awareness among the youth about the armed forces. And that is what Dhoni wants,” the source added.
Thus, he had qualified as a paratrooper after the completion of five parachute jumps from the aircraft.
With many believing Dhoni is set to announce his retirement, the reports suggested that Kohli had requested Dhoni to defer his retirement plan.