The omission of Yuzvendra Chahal and Shikhar Dhawan and the return of R Ashwin emerged as the two big discussions when the BCCI announced India’s 15-player squad for the T20 World Cup. However, it was overshadowed with news – the return of MS Dhoni as team Mentor for T20I World Cup.
This is Dhoni’s first involvement with team India after his retirement from international cricket. He represented India in his final game against New Zealand in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup. After the news of Dhoni joining team India as a mentor for the T20 World Cup, fans and the world of cricket have been wondering the rationale behind this. Finally, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has revealed the reason behind making Dhoni the mentor of the team.
Ganguly told ‘The Telegraph’, “It’s just to help the side in the World Cup. He has a good record in the T20 format for India and the Chennai Super Kings. There has been a lot of thought behind it. We discussed a lot and then decided to have him on board. We haven’t won an ICC trophy since 2013.”
In addition to this, the BCCI chief added to his statement that “Remember Australia had Steve Waugh in a similar role when they drew the Ashes 2-2 in England the last time. The presence of such heavyweights in big-ticket events always helps.”
India’s last ICC trophy was the Champions Trophy win in 2013 in England, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. Also, he remains the only captain to win all three major ICC tournaments – the Champions Trophy, T20 World Cup and 50-over World Cup. Saurav Ganguly said that Dhoni’s appointment is just like Steve Waugh’s similar role with the Australian team during the 2019 World Cup. He said that Dhoni’s vast cricketing experience and knowledge will be grateful for the team.
