Lieutenant Colonel Mahendra Singh Dhoni completed his 15-day stint with the Army in Kashmir and has returned to New Delhi. The former captain of the Indian Cricket team boarded the flight at Leh airport on Saturday.
After the conclusion of the ICC’s mega tournament last month, Dhoni had disclosed his plans to join the Territorial Army, 106 Battalion (Para) in Kashmir. His journey with the Indian Army began on 30 July that stretched for 15 days and ended with the Independence Day.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was deployed with the Victor Force and took on the duties of patrolling and guard. The cricketer stayed with the Army troops and lived the life of a true soldier.
A senior army official stated, “Dhoni is a brand ambassador of the Indian Army. He has engaged in motivating the members of his unit and has often been playing football and volleyball with the soldiers. He is also undertaking battle training exercises with the corps. He will remain in the valley till 15 August.”
Along with the battle training, Dhoni also underwent ammunition training and lessons on army patrolling, as per Times of India. The cricketer also visited Uri and Anantnag during his arrangement with the Army.
With Dhoni’s return, many questions that were left unanswered will once again come surface. There were very little clarifications on Dhoni’s future plans before he left to join the army.
Selection Committee Chairman MSK Prasad has maintained his silence on Dhoni’s future plans, although, he did say, “Retirement is purely individual. A legendary cricketer like Dhoni..he knows when to retire. But as far as the future roadmap is considered, that is in the hands of the Selectors.”
On Dhoni’s arrival in New Delhi, he was seen embracing his daughter, Jiva.