MS Dhoni joins Indian Army battalion, will start his patrolling duties from today
Dhoni will be working as an honorary colonel, the India Army has stated.
Mumbai: Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is said to start his patrolling duties in war-affected Jammu and Kashmir from today. Dhoni will be working as an honorary colonel, the India Army has stated.
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.
The 38-year-old cricketer who is popular in India for his tactics and ideas, is working for the Territorial Army, a part of Regular Army and its role is to take the burden off the Army from static operations and aid civil administration in coping with natural disasters and maintaining essential services in situations where life of the groups gets affected or the security of the Country is in stake and to provide re-enforcement for the Army as and when required.
Dhoni will work with the Army for a period of 15-days. The Victor force engages in tackling militant groups that operates in the Muslim-majority part of Kashmir.
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.
In 2015, Dhoni qualified as a paratrooper after completing five parachute jumps in Agra, an army official stated, adding, this Operation in Kashmir is part of his training.
Utilising sports icons like Dhoni, whose brand value is worth millions of dollars, would help the security forces to rake up their profile, particularly among young people who are their Integral part of recruits.