The Indian Army on Sunday reportedly granted permission to former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni to train with the Parachute Regiment battalion.
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has approved MS Dhoni's request to train with a territorial army battalion of the parachute regiment for 2 months Dhoni, an honorary Lieutenant Colonel, will be allowed to train with parachute regiment battalion.
According to an ANI report, part of the training is also expected to take place in the Kashmir valley but Dhoni would not be part of any operation.
According to ANI, "MS Dhoni’s request to train with the Indian Army has been approved by General Bipin Rawat. He would train with the Parachute Regiment battalion. Some part of the training is also expected to take place in J&K. Army won't allow Dhoni to be part of any active Op."
1. MS Dhoni belongs to Territorial Army 106 Infantry Battalion
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Former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni had approached the Indian Amry with a request to train with his territorial army battalion of the parachute regiment for 2 months. Dhoni had made himself unavailable for India's scheduled West Indies tour in the bid to serve the Paramilitary forces. The India wicketkeeper-batsman has taken a sabbatical after the team's World Cup 2019 exit with a semi-final defeat to New Zealand in Manchester.
Dhoni, awarded the honorary rank of a Lieutenant Colonel in 2011, belongs to the Territorial Army’s 106 Infantry Battalion. It is one of the two battalions that the Army has for the parachute regiment.
2. MS Dhoni has trained with Indian Army before
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MS Dhoni 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 back. It has been reported that Dhoni had made this commitment to train with his regiment even before the start of Cricket World Cup 2019.
3. Speculation over Dhoni's retirement
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There had been a lot of speculation over MS Dhoni's retirement from international cricket lately. However, a senior BCCI official confirmed that the former Indian skipper is not retiring and only taking a two-month sabbatical so that he can serve his paramilitary regiment.
Chief selector MSK Prasad on Sunday said the 'legendary cricketer' knows when to retire.
"Retirement is purely individual. A legendary cricketer like MS Dhoni, knows when to retire but what is the future course of action, what is the roadmap that we have to create is in the hands of the selection committee," said Prasad during a press conference here.
