Indian Cricketers Who Have Served In The Armed Forces: Cricketers take the field with utmost pride when they represent their country and give their best. Their contributions on the field have gotten them prestigious positions off it as well.
Some of the iconic names in Indian cricket have received the honour to serve their country in the armed forces due to their incredible show on the cricket ground. Serving the tricolour in any way is a special and huge privilege for any Indian sportsperson.
Here’s a list of 5 cricketers who have earned the honorary rank from the Indian armed forces:
C.K.Nayudu – Colonel
Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu is India’s first Test captain – he led the Indian team in their first-ever Test match against hosts England at Lord’s in June 1932. He played 7 Tests for India till August 1936 and led in his first four Tests. He scored 350 runs at an average of 25, including two half-centuries and took 9 wickets with his off-spin.
Even before his international debut, Nayudu was conferred as a Colonel in Holkar’s Army in 1923.
Kapil joined the Territorial Army in 2008 and was later awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel by the army.
Arguably the greatest batsman to have taken the field, Sachin Tendulkar is the leading Test and ODI run-scorer, with a combined record of more than 34,000 international runs. He is the only batsman with 100 international centuries.
Tendulkar joined the Indian Air Force with the rank of group captain in 2010. The legendary batter became the first person without an aviation background to receive this honour.
MS Dhoni – Lieutenant Colonel
India’s two-time World Cup-winning captain, MS Dhoni, is amongst the most followed cricketer in the world. Dhoni captained India to the title of the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and then in the 2011 World Cup at home, finishing off in style with an iconic six.
The Ranchi-born was awarded the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel with the Indian Territorial Army in 2011. He also served the army in 2019, as he was posted in Jammu and Kashmir for a couple of weeks.
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