Face of Nation : Former Indian captain MS Dhoni is likely to unfurl the tricolour on Independence Day in Leh, Ladakh. Dhoni, who holds an honorary lieutenant colonel rank in the Indian Army, is currently posted in South Kashmir where he is staying with the 106 TA Battalion (Para) of the army.
He joined his battalion on July 31st and will be staying in the valley until 15th August. According to defence sources, Dhoni will be heading to Leh with the rest of his battalion on August 10th. Dhoni, who was one of the key members of the Indian squad in the recently-concluded World Cup, had asked the BCCI for a two-month break to serve in the army after making himself unavailable for team India’s ongoing tour of West Indies.
Dhoni’s request was approved by the BCCI and the Indian Army as he joined the soldiers of his battalion in the valley. Dhoni had been performing patrolling and guarding duties in the valley.
As per IANS, Dhoni, who is currently posted in Khrew in the Pulwama district of Jammu & Kashmir, will be travelling to Leh on 10th. “Dhoni is a brand ambassador of the Indian Army.
He has engaged in motivating members of his unit and has often been playing football and volleyball with the soldiers. He is also undertaking battle training exercises with the corps. He will remain in the valley till 15 August,” a senior Army official was quoted as saying by IANS.
The exact location where Dhoni will be hoisting the national flag is still not confirmed. The veteran wicket-keeper batsman was conferred with the honorary rank of a lieutenant colonel after leading India to World Cup triumph at home in 2011. He trained at the Paratroopers Training School in Agra for two weeks in 2015 and completed five parachute jumps to become a qualified paratrooper.
Dhoni played a key role in India’s World Cup campaign which came to an end after the Virat Kohli-led side’s 18-run defeat against New Zealand in the first semi-final. He played a gritty knock of 50 runs in the game but he was run out as India’s hopes in the semi-final thwarted in the 24-run chase. However, Dhoni had to face the backlash of the fans and experts regularly for his poor run rate.
