Indian cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni was presented with the Padma Bhushan, country’s third highest civilian award, by President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday.
Dhoni, who holds the rank of Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, wore his uniform for the gala ceremony. On Tuesday, Dhoni took to Instagram and thanked the Indian armed forces for their exemplary services to the country and said that accepting the honour in his army uniform “increased the excitement tenfold”.
The Instagram post of former Indian cricket team captain was an instant hit, garnering over 1 lakh likes and close to 15,000 comments in just a few hours of writing this article.
“An honour to get the Padma Bhushan and receiving it in Uniform increases the excitement ten folds.thanks to all the Men and Women in Uniform and their families for the Sacrifices they make so that all of us could enjoy our Constitutional Rights.Jai Hind,” Dhoni wrote in his Instagram post.
The post also had multiple pictures tagged in it but one stood out — that of Dhoni, wearing his uniform, holding his daughter while she wears his army cap.
Incidentally, Dhoni was conferred with the prestigious civilian honour on the seventh anniversary of India’s 2011 ICC World Cup triumph. Dhoni was the player to secure Team India the coveted title after 28 years when he hit a massive six over long-on at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
