Mahendra Singh Dhoni Named Brand Ambassador of Momentum Jharkhand

Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have stepped down as captain of India's one-day and Twenty20 teams but for his home state Jharkhand, he is still the best face to represent the state. The Jharkhand government has decided to rope in Dhoni as the brand ambassador of Momentum Jharkhand - a two day conference of investors to attract investment in the state.

In the advertisement released, the first thing Dhoni says is that people "ask me how are you able to remain so cool in every situation, what mitti (soil) are you made of".

Dhoni's answer is, "Hindustan ki, which has the aroma and fragrance of Jharkhand."

This is for the first time the government of Jharkhand has roped in Dhoni to promote the state. Earlier the wicketkeeper-batsman had featured in ads for the Election Commission.

The state government also said Dhoni did not charge a single penny for starring in the ad and not even basic shooting fees or costumes charges.

Momentum Jharkhand is being organised on February 16-17 in Ranchi and the event is likely to be graced by top Indian industrialists.

Jharkhand is already a home to the Tatas and Birlas for the last several decades. After coming to power, the present Raghubar Das government has held several road shows in different parts of the country to attract investment in the state.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das said that Dhoni is the "aan, baan, shaan (pride) of Jharkhand and there is no one bigger than him and he is a matter of pride for all of us."

Das also said that he was really overwhelmed by Dhoni's gesture as he has volunteered to do anything for the state which is not only his "janmabhoomi but also his karmabhoomi".

In a related development, the new skipper for India in all formats Virat Kohli announced on Saturday that he is going to promote Dhoni to bat much higher up the order as felt that mentally he is going to be much more free now.