AMBALA: On the occasion of the formal induction of Rafale in the Indian Air Force (IAF), former India skipper MS Dhoni on Thursday said that he hopes Rafale "beats the service record of the Mirage 2000."
Dhoni took to Twitter to write, "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."
In another tweet, Dhoni wrote, "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."
Water cannon salute was given to the five Rafale aircraft at the Indian Air Force (IAF) base, Ambala during the induction ceremony on Thursday.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of the Armed Forces of France Florence Parly also witnessed the traditional 'Sarva Dharma Puja' at the Rafale induction ceremony.
Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, among other senior officers of the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces, were also present to mark a very important milestone in the history of the IAF.
Dhoni will return to the pitch on September 19 when his team Chennai Super Kings takes on defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening game of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League.