Published: Aug 07, 2015, 12:34 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 07, 2015, 12:38 PM (IST)
If you think MS Dhoni‘s love for armed forces was just a thing he did outside cricket and bikes, you are wrong. The One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 (T20) captain was reported to arrive at 50th Parachute Brigade in Agra for initial training in para jump. Reports flew on Twitter that Dhoni was expected to do five parachute jumps after training for two weeks at the base. In July, it was reported that Dhoni was set to spend some quality time with the armed forces before the ODI series against South Africa. Dhoni was bestowed as the honorary lieutenant colonel in the elite Parachute Regiment by the Territorial Army for his cricketing contributions in November 2011. “Why I got here is because of cricket. I would like to serve actively in the Army only after cricket. I don’t want my cricket to suffer because that is something I am good at. Once my cricket career is over, I would definitely like to serve in the Army,” he had then said. India vs South Africa 2015: 4 Test, 5 ODIs, 3 T20Is schedule announced
Earlier, Dhoni played football in Ranchi, a sport he played much before taking up cricket. To test his endurance he participated in a football match involving Silli Football Academy and has been playing badminton side-by-side to stay in shape. “I was testing my endurance after a month,” Dhoni was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. Dhoni managed to score a goal for his team too. READ: How MS Dhoni spends time off the cricket field!
South Africa will play four Tests in India for about a month, beginning with the first Test in Mohali on November 9, in a full tour of the country, it has been announced. The two teams last engaged in a Test series late 2013, for two Tests on a tour agreed between Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) in doubtful circumstances due to differences between the boards. South Africa are currently in Bangladesh busy playing a Test series, and will finish their second Test, to be played in Mirpur, on August 3. They will play an ODI series at home against New Zealand before boarding a flight to India to play five ODIs, three Twenty20s Internationals (T20Is) and four Tests.
