Ladakh: Had it not been cricket, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni would have been an Armyman, according to his own confession. But destiny made him join the Railways and then cricket happened which in turn gave him the honour of joining the Army as his ambition was fulfilled when the Army offered him an honorary Lieutenant Colonel Post in the Territorial Army and the captain gladly accepted it, bringing him on the league of Kapil Dev and Abhinav Bindra who too are ambassadors of the Army.

In his endeavour to boost the morale of the Armymen, Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday reached Ladakh as a part of his two-day tour and inaugurated a newly-constructed Army ground here.

Dhoni was the chief guest of a friendly cricket match played between the Indian Army team and a team of ladakhi locals here and inaugurated the ground, which became the highest cricket ground in the world.

Hundreds of local fans waited outside the cricket venue to get a glimpse of Dhoni but the Army did not allow anyone to get into the venue and all had to return with dejected hearts.

Dhoni said he was interested in joining the Army before becoming a cricketer, but instead joined the Indian Railways.

"I am fortunate that now I am able to be a part of Indian Army," said Dhoni.

"I am not here to boost Indian Army. To see the jawans serving in such a situation really boosted me further," he added.

During the tour, Dhoni will also visit Siachen glacier - the highest battleground of the world.

The Indian captain had visited the troops on the Line of Control on Monday. He interacted with officers of the Chinar Corps and also spoke to school children from downtown Srinagar On Monday.