Dhoni trains to be parachute jumper

Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes in doing things his way as the Indian cricket captain or as an honorary lt Colonel in the Territorial Army.  Not willing to don the olive green uniform at ceremonial functions only, the gutsy Captain Cool is now training to be a parachute jumper.  He will earn the coveted blue colour Parachute Wing insignia after five jumps from an AN-32 aircraft flying at height of more than 10,000 feet.  The five jumps include four in daylight and one night which tests the skills and nerves of the parachutist.  

Having retired from Test cricket and now leading the one-day Indian cricket team, Dhoni started the 15-day parachute training at 50 Para Brigade centre at Agra on Friday.  He was conferred the honorary commission as an officer in 106 Parachute Regiment of Territorial Army in 2011.  Paratroopers all over the world and in India are considered to be elite.

The training involves class room lectures on techniques of parachute jumping besides physical toughening up to withstand jerks and jolts involved in jumping off an aircraft with a parachute and landing.  The landing has to be in a systematic manner to avoid injuries often caused by hard landing and the jumper has to train to break the fall.

Besides lectures and basic exercises, Dhoni along with other trainees will undergo the regular pre-jump mock drill by jumping off a platform with a rope attached for support.  Once the trainees successfully pass this test, they will then be allowed to jump off the aircraft after the fortnight drill.  If the Indian cricket captain manages to complete successfully the five mandatory jumps, he will become the first Indian cricket player and most probably of the world to qualify as a paratrooper.  Anyhow, he has already earned the distinction to the first cricket player of the world to undergo paratrooper training.

Accepting the honorary commission, Dhoni had said, "It's a real honour as I always wanted to be part of the Indian Army. It's (joining the Indian Army) something that I always wanted to achieve as a kid and now that I have donned the olive greens, my dream has been fulfilled."Since then, Dhoni has maintained that he would "definitely" want to serve the Army actively once he bids adieu to the game.  He has visited several forward areas in the recent past and interacted with troops.