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MS Dhoni’s love and respect for the armed forces is well-known. In 2011, the year he became the second Indian captain to win the ODI World Cup, Dhoni was conferred the rank of honorary lieutenant-colonel in the Indian Territorial Army.
Four years later, the former Indian captain became a qualified paratrooper after completing five parachute training jumps from an Indian Army aircraft in Agra. After India’s exit from the 2019 World Cup, MS Dhoni took a sabbatical from the sport and completed a two-week stint with the Territorial Army in Jammu and Kashmir. The cricket legend has found ways to remain connected with the armed forces.
On MS Dhoni’s 40th birthday, let’s look at four major instances when he expressed his respect for the Indian Armed Forces.
#1 MS Dhoni dons army uniform at the Padma Awards 2018
In 2018, MS Dhoni was honored with Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award. He was dressed as an army officer and donned a lieutenant-colonel uniform as he marched at the ceremony to receive the award from the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.
After being conferred with honorary rank in the Indian Army in 2011, MS Dhoni had famously said:
“It’s a real honor as I always wanted to be part of the Indian Army. It’s (joining the Indian Army) something that I always wanted to achieve as a kid and now that I have donned the olive greens, my dream has been fulfilled."
#2 The camouflage tribute
The Indian team paid tribute to the martyrs of the Pulwama attack by sporting camouflage caps during an ODI against Australia at MS Dhoni’s hometown Ranchi in March 2019. Dhoni distributed the caps to the players.
MS Dhoni’s love for camouflage design is no secret. From his cricketing gears to his attire to his masks to the new Chennai Super Kings (CSK) jersey for 2021, MS Dhoni makes it a point to raise awareness about the selfless contribution of the armed forces.
#3 MS Dhoni sported the Balidaan Badge (the Indian Army insignia) on his gloves
During India’s opening game of the 2019 World Cup against South Africa, MS Dhoni sported the Balidaan badge on his wicketkeeping gloves. The insignia that depicts a dagger with wings is the badge of the Indian Para Special Forces.
The gesture attracted worldwide controversy, after which MS Dhoni stopped wearing those gloves for the rest of the tournament. While there was massive support for the former captain within India, the gesture didn’t go down well with several politicians in Pakistan.
The ICC (International Cricket Council) regulations are clear that players can’t sport anything that is related to political, religious or racial activities or causes. It states:
“In particular, no logo shall be permitted to be displayed on cricket clothing or cricket equipment, other than a national logo, a commercial logo, an event logo, a manufacturer’s logo, a player’s bat logo, a charity logo or a non-commercial logo as provided in the regulations.”
Citing the regulations, the ICC had requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to have the symbol removed from MS Dhoni’s gloves.
#4 MS Dhoni tweets on freedom of expression
In the backdrop of the raging debate on freedom of expression after an event at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) against the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, MS Dhoni decided to lend his voice to the issue. He called for respect to the armed forces and stated that the nation was in a position to debate because of the men in uniform.
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