Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday (September 10) took to Twitter to welcome the induction of the Rafale fighter jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF). Dhoni heaped praises on IAF pilots terming them as the ‘world’s best fighter pilots’.
Dhoni, who is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, came up with back-to-back tweets to express his excitement. Wishing the Golden 17 Squadron good luck, Dhoni hoped that Rafale beat the service record of the Mirage 2000 in the near-term.
“With the Final Induction Ceremony, the world’s best combat-proven 4.5Gen fighter plane gets the world’s best fighter pilots. In the hands of our pilots and the mix of different aircraft with the IAF, the potent bird’s lethality will only increase,” Dhoni said in his first tweet.
With the Final Induction Ceremony the world’s best combat proven 4.5Gen fighter plane gets the world’s best fighter pilots. In the hands of our pilots and the mix of different aircrafts with the IAF the potent bird’s lethality will only increase.
— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) September 10, 2020
“Wishing The Glorious 17 Squadron(Golden Arrows) all the very best and for all of us hope the Rafale beats the service record of the Mirage 2000, but Su30MKI remains my fav, and the boys get a new target to dogfight with and wait for BVR engagement till their upgrade to Super Sukhoi,” Dhoni wrote in the second tweet.
Wishing The Glorious 17 Squadron(Golden Arrows) all the very best and for all of us hope the Rafale beats the service record of the Mirage 2000 but Su30MKI remains my fav and the boys get new target to dogfight with and wait for BVR engagement till their upgrade to Super Sukhoi
— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) September 10, 2020
The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, four years after they signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to buy 36 aircraft. These jets were formally inducted into the IAF’s famous 17 Squadron, the ‘Golden Arrows’. The second consignment of Rafale planes is likely to arrive in India by November.
Last month, Dhoni bid farewell to his illustrious international cricket career on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day. The Ranchi lad played his last game for India during the semi-final clash of the ICC World Cup 2019 against New Zealand.
MSD is currently in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to take part in the upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. He will be seen in action when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Mumbai Indians (MI) in the tournament opener on September 19.
