MS Dhoni on patrol duty in Jammu & Kashmir from July 31

NEW DELHI: Former cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will undertake patrolling and guard duties in Kashmir from July 31 to August 15 during his stint with the Territorial Army's 106 TA Battalion (Para) as an honorary lieutenant colonel.
Dhoni, who has opted out of the cricket team's tour of the West Indies, will be deployed in Pulwama under the Victor Force of the Rashtriya Rifles.
"Dhoni had requested Army Headquarters that he would like to take on patrolling, guard and post duties, as also stay with the troops of the TA battalion. It has been approved," said a senior officer. The Army, of course, will take due care that the cricketer is not put in harm's way during his stint in the Valley.
It was in 2011 that Dhoni was given the honorary rank of a lieutenant colonel in the TA, which is a vital adjunct of the regular Army.
Dhoni trained with Para forces in 2015
Dhoni's battalion, which is headquartered in Bengaluru, is currently posted in the Valley to carry out the static duty of guarding installations as well as some road-opening and area domination missions.
The cricketer had undertaken some weapons and other training with the Army's Para-Special Forces in Agra in 2015, while also making five parajumps to qualify as a paratrooper. "Dhoni is an honorary officer but wanted to serve the mandatory two months in a year like other personnel in the TA," said the officer.
Other cricket superstars like Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar have also joined the armed forces in an honorary capacity in the past. Tendulkar, for instance, was conferred with the honorary rank of a group captain (equivalent to an Army colonel), with epaulettes and all on his blue uniform, at a ceremony in September 2010.
In Video:Lieutenant Colonel MS Dhoni to do patrolling in Kashmir