Star Cricketer M S Dhoni To Train With Indian Army’s Elite Parachute Regiment In J&K

Star cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni will train with Indian Army Jawans in Jammu and Kashmir, reports India Today.

The cricketer-turned-honorary Lieutenant Colonel would be travelling to the Kashmir valley to train for two months with the Parachute regiment battalion as General Bipin Rawat approved his request for the same. However, he will not be a part of any operation.

Dhoni was awarded the honorary rank of a Lieutenant Colonel in 2011. He belongs to the Territorial Army’s 106 Infantry Battalion, one of the two battalions that the Army has for the parachute regiment. He had trained with the elite Para regiment of the force in Agra in 2015. The World Cup-winning former India captain also completed parachute jumps after the course 4 years ago.

Dhoni had made this commitment even before the start of the Cricket World Cup 2019 and had reportedly informed BCCI that he wouldn’t be available for two months.

To pick the ODI, T20I and the Test squads, senior selection committee head MSK Prasad held the meeting in Mumbai on Sunday (21 July). He confirmed that Dhoni had expressed his unavailability and therefore, was not considered in the selection process for India's tour of West Indies.

"He [MS Dhoni] is unavailable for this series. He has expressed his unavailability. Having said that, we had certain road maps till the World Cup. Subsequently, post the World Cup, we have laid down few more plans. We thought of giving as many opportunities to Rishabh Pant to see he is groomed. That's our plan right now," Prasad said.