During the 2019 World Cup in England, Indian cricket fans were saluting the former Indian captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for wearing the Para Special Forces' 'Balidaan' insignia on his gloves.

The symbol reflects the 'Balidaan' or 'Sacrifice' that Para SF hopefuls make in order to become a part of one of the Indian Army's finest units after years and years of training in extremely difficult circumstances.

This man shows his love for the nation and army.
A Regimental Dragger(BALIDAN) of Indian Army Para Special Force on MS Dhoni Gloves. #IndianArmy #Balidan pic.twitter.com/P5haUEyQcy

Despite the fact that the emblem is more of a reward than a badge, as it is only given to a member of the para regiment after they have served for one year in the country's most dangerous areas as active servicemen, Dhoni was given the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel of the unit by then-Indian President Pratibha Patil in 2011.

Dhoni also completed a two-week training programme with the Para SF in 2015, which included his maiden para jump.

Lt Col (Hony) Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 106 Infantry Battalion Territorial Army (Para) (Airborne)
The balidan, a validation of, 'Who Dares Wins'.
MS Dhoni Wicket Keeping gloves. Having,#BalidanBadge pic.twitter.com/gIgp21GNN8

So when Dhoni wore the 'Balidaan' emblem on his gloves without making a huge issue about it, he did so solely to express his gratitude and affection for the courageous warriors of the Indian Defence Forces, with no political objective in mind.

However, within a couple of days after the issue became of international importance, the International Cricket Council (ICC) ordered the BCCI to make Dhoni get rid of the special gloves and wear the ones that were without any such logos.

“I would have wanted MS Dhoni to wear the insignia in the World Cup...” says #VinodRai and explains why it was not possible in Backstage With Boria. #BWB Special Promo.@AgeasFederal @msdhoni
Full Interview Coming Soon! pic.twitter.com/BiKwquVwUw

Talking about the incident on the Backstage of Boria, the former BCCI head Vinod Rai shared why did the Indian cricket board agree to ICC’s demands, even though Dhoni’s gesture did not support any political agenda.

“I also feel that it was a small insignia and that he (Dhoni) should be entitled to wearing it. If you recall, in the beginning, we (the BCCI) backed him. But unfortunately, there were 11 pages of ICC rules which went to the details about what the players can wear and not wear and the gloves were also included in those 11 pages. Once, there is a ruling or a regulation, I don’t want the team to be going against that regulation,” Rai said.

“Everybody wants to play the game the way the ICC wants to conduct it. We are a part of the entire (organisaiton) and that’s how we persuaded them to stay away from it,” he added.

Not too long before this incident, the ICC had allowed the Men in Blue to wear camouflage caps to show their condolences towards the loss of lives of our brave soldiers during the infamous Pulwama terror attack that took place on Valentine's Day, 2019.

View the full article