Chennai Super Kings show MS Dhoni's respect for the armed forces in Independence Day post

Former India captain and Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni's respect for the armed forces is a known fact, and as the country celebrates its 75th Independence day on Sunday (August 15), the IPL franchise took to Instagram to share an inspirational and heart-warming post of Dhoni honoring the nation's defenders.

CSK shared an image of MS Dhoni in military fatigues, standing next to a flag post with the banner flying high, and captioned the post: "'I am on National Duty, everything else can wait!' - MS Dhoni 📹: Colonel Vembu Shankar on @mahi7781 and his respect for Armed forces #WhistlePodu #Yellove."

You can watch the post here:

For those unaware, Dhoni holds the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. Following India's 2019 World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand, he trained with the Parachute Regiment for more than a month.

Incidentally, Aug 15, 2020 was also the day he announced his retirement from international cricket. Taking to Instagram, the iconic player shared a video and captioned the post:

"Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. from 1929 hrs consider me as Retired."

The video had the cult classic song 'Mai Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hu' from Amitabh Bachchan's 'Kabhie Kabhie' in the background, and MS Dhoni shared his incredible and memorable journey with the team including his headline-garnering run-out in the last game against the Kiwis in the World Cup 2019 semi-final.

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MS Dhoni will return to lead CSK in the IPL 2021 restart

The talismanic skipper will return to lead the franchise when IPL 2021 resumes on September 19.

The Indian contingent consisting of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suresh Raina, Deepak Chahar, MS Dhoni and Karn Sharma recently departed for the UAE. The families of the cricketers were allowed to travel with the side.

The players traveled to Chennai and entered the bio-bubble before flying out. They will undergo another mandatory quarantine in Dubai and a couple of COVID-19 tests before kicking off their preparations for IPL 2021.

Compared to the 2020 edition, where they failed to qualify for the knockout stages, CSK had a successful run in IPL 2021 before the tournament was suspended.

MS Dhoni's men won seven games and were second in the points table when the tournament was halted. The Delhi Capitals are top of the table with 12 points from eight matches, while RCB trail CSK in third place with 10 points.

The remainder of the IPL will be played in the UAE from September 19 to October 15. Mumbai Indians will play the Chennai Super Kings in what will be the 30th match of the season. 29 games happened during the first phase in India.