Indian cricketers, especially the successful ones, are considered one of the most respected human beings in the country. While they are presented with a number of awards for their achievement in the sport, the government also confers them with some additional national awards and ranks.
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While all the awards are prestigious in their own terms, the national awards do hold special importance. Meanwhile, it becomes even great when some cricketers are awarded an honorary rank in the most respectable government organisation. In the same light, we take a look at five Indian cricketers, who earned a similar rank in the Indian Defence.
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Sachin Tendulkar: The 'God of Cricket' needs no introduction when it comes to the sport. As he been conferred with at least six national awards to date, the greatest undoubtedly happened when he was honoured with the rank of Group Captain by Indian Air Force, in 2010.
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CK Nayudu: The first-ever Indian Test captain led India on numerous occasions. He played seven Tests, scoring 350 runs at an average of 25.0, including a couple of half-centuries. He had a glorious First-Class career, scoring 11,825 runs in 207 matches at an average of 35.94, including 28 centuries and 58 half-centuries. It was owing to his FC performance, he was honoured with the rank of Colonel in Holkar's Army, in 1923, even before he had made his national debut.
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Hemu Adhikari: Adhikari played 21 Test for India, scoring 872 runs at an average of 31.1, including a century and four half-centuries. He later also managed India, as India won their first away Test against England under his mentorship, besides grooming other Indian greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Mohinder Amarnath, Syed Kirmani and many more. He also served the Indian Army during World War 2 and retired from the service as Lieutenant Colonel.
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Kapil Dev: The 2003 World Cup-winning captain is a famous name in Indian cricket and needs no introduction either. The all-rounder was served with at least three national awards, before being bestowed with the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army, in 2008.
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MS Dhoni: The latest Indian cricketer to be awarded a prestigious army rank is the former Indian skipper MS Dhoni. He had led India to multiple World Cup wins, while he also played a pivotal role in helping India become the number one Test side. Courtesy of his cricketing achievements, he too 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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