Former India captain MS Dhoni was named in a 15-member panel constituted by the defense ministry for the review of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). The NCC was formed under the National Cadet Corps act in 1948.

Industrialist Anand Mahindra and Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore are the other two notable faces in the panel announced. 

The committee is headed by former lawmaker Baijayant Panda and it also includes Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Principal Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry Sanjeev Sanyal, and Jamia Millia Islamia Vice Chancellor Najma Akhtar.

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"Ministry of Defence has constituted a High-Level Expert Committee, under the chairmanship of former Member of Parliament Shri Baijayant Panda, for a comprehensive review of National Cadet Corps (NCC) in order to make it more relevant in changing times," the ministry said in a statement.

Former vice-chancellor of the SNDT Women’s University Vasudha Kamat, National Organising Secretary of Bhartiya Shikshan Mandal Mukul Kanitkar, Maj Gen (retd) Alok Raj, Managing Director of SIS India Ltd Rituraj Sinha, and CEO of Databook Anand Shah are the other members of the panel.

The committee will suggest "measures which can empower NCC cadets to contribute more effectively towards nation-building and national developmental efforts in various sectors".

It also aims to "propose measures for gainful engagement of its Alumni for the betterment of the organization as a whole and to study and recommend best practices of similar international youth organizations for inclusion in the NCC curriculum," the ministry statement said.

Dhoni's IPL franchise, Chennai Super Kings also reacted to the news.

Dhoni, who is also Lieutenant Colonel (Honorary) in the Indian Army, was recently appointed as the mentor of the Team India for the T20 World Cup.