Dhoni spotted playing football with Arjun Kapoor before joining Indian Army; see pics
Dhoni checked in to the City of Dreams' on July 27.
Mumbai: After taking a two months break from international cricket, MS Dhoni was seen playing football with actor Arjun Kapoor in Mumbai on Sunday, July 28.
The former Indian captain was seen donning a ‘Playing for Humanity’ jersey, and it has been said that he was involved in a training session division in Juhu.
After India crashed out of the 2019 World Cup, following a loss to New Zealand in the semis, Dhoni made himself "unavailable" for the West Indies tour. The 38-year-old clearly told the BCCI that he wouldn’t be available for two months to train with the Indian Army’s Parachute Regiment.
Nevertheless, earlier, several reports came out stating that the veteran wicket-keeper batsman had joined the battalion on July 24, but after he was spotted at the Mumbai Airport, MS Dhoni's appearance at the airport indicated something else.
On July 26, several Bollywood stars including Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan and Arjun Kappor were also seen playing football amid the heavy rains during the Ka
Dhoni was part of the Army-Navy Stars XI who played against the Bollywood XI which comprised of Arjun Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Ishan Khatter, Aparshakti Khurana and others at a football stadium in the Mumbai suburbs. Dhoni checked in to the ‘City of Dreams’ on July 27.
Nevertheless, earlier, several reports came out stating that the veteran wicket-keeper batsman had joined the battalion on July 24, but after he was spotted at the Mumbai Airport, MS Dhoni's appearance at the airport indicated something else.
On July, 25, the Indian Army stated, "Lieutenant Colonel (Honorary) MS Dhoni is proceeding to 106 TA Battalion (Para) for being with the Battalion from 31 Jul-15 Aug 19."
The statement also mentioned that the unit will be training in the Kashmir valley as sub-division of the Victor Force. "As requested by the officer and approved by Army Headquarters; he will be taking on the duties of patrolling, guard and post duty and would be staying with troops", the statement mentioned.
Dhoni possesses the prestigious post of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army unit of the Parachute Regiment (106 Para TA battalion). The title was conferred to Abhinav Bindra, Deepak Rao and Dhoni by the Indian Army in 2011.
In 2015, Dhoni qualified as a paratrooper after completing five parachute jumps in Agra. After India’s ouster, Speculations regarding Dhoni’s retirement has been doing the rounds, but the team management asked him not to retire until Rishabh Pant gets properly trained before the 2020 T-20 World Cup in Australia.
(Photo: Yogen Shah)(Photo: Yogen Shah)(Photo: Yogen Shah)(Photo: Yogen Shah)(Photo: Yogen Shah)(Photo: Yogen Shah)