Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was conferred with Padma Bhushan Award on Monday at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi by President of India Ram Nath Kovind. Coincidentally, he received the honour on the same day when he led India to on the same day when he guided India to its second ICC World Cup triumph exactly seven years ago.
The wicket keeper-batsman was conferred with the honorary Lt colonel rank by the Territorial Army in 2011, months after he had led India to World Cup glory at home. He becomes the second Indian cricketer after 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, to be conferred with Padma Bhushan. The former India skipper, who retired from Tests in 2014, had received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2007 and the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award, in 2009.
Congratulatory messages started pouring in for lieutenant colonel Dhoni as Twitter users were awed by the cricketer's decision to wear the army uniform at Rashtrapati Bhavan. "It was absolutely wonderful to see the pride with which @msdhoni wore his Territorial army uniform while receiving the well deserved #PadmaBhushan today, exactly 7 years after we won the 2011 World Cup. Heartiest congratulations!" former India batsman VVS Laxman wrote on Twitter.
Notably, Dhoni received the Padma Bhushan exactly seven years after the historic day, on which he hit the winning six in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
CONGRATULATIONS MR. COOL!!
— Doordarshan National (@DDNational) April 2, 2018
Hon'ble President of India #RamNathKovind confers #PadmaBhushan on Cricketer @msdhoni.
#MSDhoni is only Indian captain to win all three #ICC limited-overs trophies. pic.twitter.com/42TEJArveW
