Dhoni to visit Siachen glacier

Srinagar: Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will on Tuesday begin a two-day tour of the frontier Ladakh region during which he will visit Siachen glacier - the highest battleground of the world, a defence spokesman said.

"He (Dhoni) will visit Leh and Siachen on Tuesday and Wednesday," defence spokesman Lt Col J S Brar said. The Team India captain, who arrived in the valley yesterday and visited the troops on the Line of Control, today left for New Delhi, Lt Col Brar said. Before leaving for the capital, he said Dhoni - who is also the goodwill ambassador of the Army - spent his second day interacting with officers and troops besides meeting the designate General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Srinagar-based Chinar Corps Lieutenant General Om Prakash. "Lieutenant Colonel (honourary) Dhoni, on the second day of his tour, met the GOC designate of Chinar Corps, who is scheduled to take over the reins on June 9, in the presence of the Chief of Staff Major General Rajesh Arya at Badami Bagh Cantonment here," he said. He said Dhoni also interacted with officers and troops of the Chinar Corps in addition to school children from downtown Srinagar. "Thereafter, he met patients at the 92 Base Hospital and besides thanking them for their sacrifices in the duty of the nation, also presented them gifts," the spokesman said. Dhoni also visited two Territorial Army (TA) battalions -- 126 Infantry Battalion and 162 Infantry Battalion -- based in Srinagar. In 126 Infantry Battalion (TA), known as Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Dhoni was received by Commanding Officer Colonel S S Pathania, the spokesman said. PTI