The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) surprised everyone when they appointed former Indian captain MS Dhoni as team India’s mentor for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. There have been plenty of speculations about Dhoni’s role in the mega event and possibilities of him continuing that role. The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly during Aajtak’s ‘Salaam Cricket’ conclave in Dubai gave details about how the decision was taken and clarified his role during the mega event. Ganguly also reasoned out on having a short contract with the 2007 World Cup-winning captain, which will not go beyond the 2021 World Cup.
“Me and Jay had a discussion on it since a long time on how to get him (Dhoni) involved. He hasn’t left cricket yet. So, having him around for a longer period is tough. He has won three World Cups, so have made him a part of the team. We hope something good will happen (what bad can happen?) Let’s see,” the 49-year-old said.
India’s most successful captain in white-ball cricket, mentor Dhoni will aide head coach Ravi Shastri and captain Virat Kohli in ending India’s long-running drought in the ICC event. Ganguly also cleared Dhoni’s role has been defined with no cause of friction between the head coach and the captain going into the tournament.
“Ravi Shastri will be the head coach and Virat will be the captain. MS will just help them. MS is a mature person and will know where to stop and where to go. And they were all discussed and taken on board before the decision happened and hope for the best. He is only for just this trip, only for the World Cup,” added the BCCI chief.
Ganguly reiterated that Dhoni’s assignment is only till the T20 World Cup and he doesn’t see any over-lapping of roles between the coach and the mentor. “Of course, they are all big players and have taken the team ahead whether it is Dhoni or Kohli. I don’t see any problems.”
On October 24, the ‘Men in Blue’ will face arch-rivals Pakistan in their first encounter of the tournament. Pakistan are yet to defeat India in any World Cup event over the years (T20 and ODI). Also, the former Indian captain MSD has led India to victory five times against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup (2007-2016).
