Honorary lieutenant colonel, Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined his battalion in the militancy-hit south Kashmir region on Wednesday to carry out patrolling, guard duties and similar responsibilities just like other soldiers.
The former Indian cricket team captain will be staying with his 106 TA Battalion (Para) till August 15 and under take duties with the troops.
A picture of him seen signing a cricket bat for one of the soldiers has gone viral on social media.
Here comes the 1st exclusive picture of #LtColonelDHONI From Srinager. 😍❤️ pic.twitter.com/gbZtqyQETJ
— DHONIsm™ ❤️ (@DHONIism) August 1, 2019
The 38-year-old World Cup winning captain’s two-week stint with the Victor Force, was approved by the Army headquarters last week on Dhoni’s request.
Dhoni was accorded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2011. He is also a qualified paratrooper after having completed five parachute training jumps.
The wicket-keeper-batsman has been conferred the Padma Bhushan, the country’s third highest civilian award, by President Ramnath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Dhoni is on a two month sabbatical from cricket after India’s semi-final exit from the 2019 World Cup. He informed the selectors and made himself after India’s semi-final exit from the 2019 World Cup.