Lieutenant Colonel Mahendra Singh Dhoni congratulates Indian Air Force over induction of Rafale fighter jets

Former Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is also an honourary Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army, on Thursday congratulated the country over the formal induction of five Rafale fighter jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The 39-year-old took to his official Twitter handle and lauded the IAF pilots by describing them as the ‘world’s best fighter pilots’ and saying that the 'potent bird's lethality will only increase in their hands.

“With the Final Induction Ceremony the world’s best combat proven 4.5Gen fighter plane gets the world’s best fighter pilots. In the hands of our pilots and the mix of different aircrafts with the IAF the potent bird’s lethality will only increase," Dhoni tweeted.

Wishing the Golden 17 Squadron good luck, Dhoni expressed hope that Rafale beats the service record of the Mirage 2000 in the coming future.

"Wishing The Glorious 17 Squadron(Golden Arrows) all the very best and for all of us hope the Rafale beats the service record of the Mirage 2000 but Su30MKI remains my fav and the boys get new target to dogfight with and wait for BVR engagement till their upgrade to Super Sukhoi,” Dhoni further wrote.

With the Final Induction Ceremony the world’s best combat proven 4.5Gen fighter plane gets the world’s best fighter pilots. In the hands of our pilots and the mix of different aircrafts with the IAF the potent bird’s lethality will only increase. — Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) September 10, 2020

With the Final Induction Ceremony the world’s best combat proven 4.5Gen fighter plane gets the world’s best fighter pilots. In the hands of our pilots and the mix of different aircrafts with the IAF the potent bird’s lethality will only increase.

— Mahendra Singh Dhoni (@msdhoni) September 10, 2020

Earlier, five high-profile Rafale fighter aircraft were formally inducted into the IAF's famous 17 Squadron, the 'Golden Arrows'. 

The first batch of five Rafale fighter jets landed at the Ambala Air Force base around 3.14 p.m on July 29, 2020, amid a ceremonial welcome and unprecedented security. The fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft.

On a related note, Dhoni bid adieu to his 16-year-long illustrious international cricket on the occasion of India's 74th Independence Day.

The former Indian wicketkeeper-batsman ended his international career with a total of 4,876 runs in 90 Tests, 10,773 runs in 350 ODIs and 1,617 runs in 98 matches he played for India in the shortest format of the game.

Dhoni is the most successful skipper of India as he remains the only captain to win all the major ICC trophies namely 50-over World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy. 

The former Indian skipper, who played his last game for India during the semi-final clash of the ICC World Cup 2019 against New Zealand, is all set to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The lucrative T20 tournament is slated to take place from September 19 to November 10 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).