Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was conferred with the honourary title of Lieutenant Colonel in Indian Army in 2011, was wearing his army uniform at the ceremony. He was granted the honour by the former President of India Pratibha Patil at a ceremony in New Delhi. (File)Sheldon Cottrell of West Indies on Sunday shared an old video of MS Dhoni in Army uniform being felicitated by the President of India, with a heartfelt message of admiration for the India wicketkeeper. The video is from 2011, when Dhoni had been given the rank of an honourary Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army by the President.
This man is an inspiration on the cricket field. But he is also a patriot and a man that gives to his country beyond duty. I have been at home in Jamaica with my boys these past weeks and had time to reflect (1/2)
— Sheldon Cotterell (@SaluteCotterell) July 28, 2019
I shared this video with friends and family because they know how I feel about honour but the moment between wife and husband truly shows an inspirational kind of love for country and partner. Please enjoy as I did. pic.twitter.com/Pre28KWAFD
— Sheldon Cotterell (@SaluteCotterell) July 28, 2019
“This man is an inspiration on the cricket field. But he is also a patriot and a man that gives to his country beyond duty. I have been at home in Jamaica with my boys these past weeks and had time to reflect,” Cottrell wrote along with the video.
“I shared this video with friends and family because they know how I feel about honour but the moment between wife and husband truly shows an inspirational kind of love for country and partner. Please enjoy as I did,” he added.
Cottrell’s trademark salute-and-march celebration, which went viral during the recently concluded World Cup, is a tribute to his country’s armed forces. He had trained with the Jamaican Army for six months and had picked up his trademark move at that time.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni also holds the distinction of being the first player to win the ICC ODI Player of the Year award twice back in 2008 and 2009. (PTI)Dhoni holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army unit of the Parachute Regiment (106 Para TA battalion). Dhoni was given this honour along with Abhinav Bindra and Deepak Rao, a leading expert in close combat warfare, in 2011.
In 2015, Dhoni became a qualified paratrooper after having completed five parachute training jumps from Indian Army aircrafts in the Agra training camp.
