After giving their best in the sports field, some prominent sportspersons including MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar have been honored by the Indian armed forces and some of them have also served in the forces. In this article, we will take a look as such five athletes.
Sachin Tendulkar (Indian Air Force)
Veteran Sachin Tendulkar became a part of the Indian Air Force with the rank of group captain in 2010. The Master Blaster became the first ever sportsperson to confer honorary and also the first without an aviation background to get the honour. Over the years, Sachin has become the face of IAF for young Indians.
MS Dhoni (Indian Army)
Two-time World Cup winning skipper, MS Dhoni was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel with the Indian Territorial Army after the Men in Blue won the famous 2011 World Cup. In 2019, the wicketkeeper-batter also served the army as he was posted in Jammu and Kashmir for a couple of weeks.
3. Abhinav Bindra (Indian Army)
At the 2008 Olympic Games, Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra scripted history by winning gold in the 10m air rifle shooting event which ended the country’s long wait for an individual gold medal at the big athletic event. Bindra was appointed honorary Lieutenant Colonel by the Indian Territorial Army in 2011 for his achievements.
4. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Indian Army)
India’s first individual Olympic silver medalist since independence Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore credited his win to the Army. Rathore graduated from the National Defence Academy (NDA) in the early 1990s and remained a member until 2013. Later on, he voluntarily retired as a Colonel from the Army before joining politics.
5. Kapil Dev (Indian Army)
India’s first World Cup winning captain needs no introduction. After serving India as an all-rounder on the cricketing field, Kapil joined the Territorial Army in 2008 and was later awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel by the army. The former Indian skipper was commissioned in the 150 TA (Infantry) battalion of the Punjab Regiment.
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