Chandigarh: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Jharkhand’s most recognisable face, has no reservations over becoming the brand ambassador for his state.

But, of course, the Arjun Munda government has to offer that position to the Team India captain. Recently, though, the forest and environment department made him its brand ambassador.

That, to say the least, is underutilising Dhoni and not taking advantage of his enormous brand value.

“In principle, I have no issues being Jharkhand’s brand ambassador... However, the government will have to bear in mind that I don’t have many free days... In fact, I haven’t found time to visit Ranchi for the past four months,” Dhoni told The Telegraph on Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking in his suite at the Taj here, Dhoni added: “Also, I must know what exactly I’ll be required to do... The brief has to be clear if, for example, I get to interact with potential investors... What do I tell them? Just how much do I promise on behalf of the state?”

Turning a bit emotional, Dhoni said: “I’m a Jharkhand boy... It’s my state... If the government feels like using me in bits and pieces, then even that is fine with me... Before the environment thing came up, I happily did some work for projects related to girls and the girl-child.”

Dhoni, who is passionate about wildlife and the environment, has also lent his name to programmes of the Uttarakhand government. The family has close ties with that region.

Asked if Jharkhand needed to project a better image, Dhoni replied: “Yes, the state could do that, but don’t forget it’s still so young, not even 11 years old, as we speak... Jharkhand’s advantage is that it has all the natural resources, it has nature’s blessings... We have what it takes to be there (at the top), to make big things happen. But I realise there may be problems with land acquisition and so on.”

Having taken India to No.1 in the Test rankings (we were at the summit for 20 months, till this August) and having lifted both the World T20 and the 50-over World Cup trophies, Dhoni knows what it takes to be successful.

But is the Jharkhand government on the same page?

Footnote: Dhoni faced an unusual moment on returning to the team hotel from Mohali. While waiting for the elevator, a middle-aged lady accosted him, declaring that she wanted “10 minutes” to discuss “personal things.” Dhoni got away by (politely) saying he didn’t have the time in the middle of a series.