Dhoni, Bindra now Lieutenant Colonels

The Defence Ministry had decided to confer the rank of honorary Lt Col for their contribution in the field of cricket and shooting respectively, and their commitment to the Army on various occasions. "On November 1, the two officers are scheduled to be granted the rank of honorary Lt Col in the Territorial Army," Army officials told PTI here.

Dhoni led India to World Cup victory earlier this year and was instrumental in taking the team to the No 1 spot in Test rankings for the first time ever. Bindra had won the only individual Olympic gold medal for India at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Both these sportspersons have joined the ranks of senior cricketers -- Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar -- who have been conferred with honorary ranks in the armed forces.

Kapil Dev is a honorary Lt Col in the Territorial Army, while Tendulkar is an honorary Group Captain in the Indian Air Force. The Defence Ministry has also cleared a proposal to fly Dhoni and Tendulkar in IAF`s frontline Su-30MKI fighter aircraft at the Lohegaon airbase.