Sports stars who have served in Indian armed forces

In 2010, Sachin Tendulkar was appointed as a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force, marking a historic moment in sports history.

MS Dhoni, the two-time World Cup-winning captain, was bestowed with the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Territorial Army following India's victory in the 2011 World Cup.

India’s first World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev joined the Territorial Army in 2008 and was later awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel by the army. 

India's first individual Olympic gold medallist​​ Abhinav Bindra was honored with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army.

India’s first individual Olympic silver medallist, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has been a graduate of the National Defence Academy in the early 90’s and served as a member till 2013.

India's top-ranked pistol shooter Jitu Rai joined the 11 Gorkha Regiment as a Sepoy in 2006. He eventually reached the post of Subedar Major.

Milkha Singh enlisted in the Indian Army as a Sepoy and was later promoted to the rank of Naib Subedar following his impressive victory of two gold medals at the 1958 Asian Games.

Indian women cricketer Shikha Pandey held the position of Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force. She was part of the squad that reached the final of 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia.