India will be defending the T20 World Cup title in less than five months. Ahead of the marquee event, news has emerged that the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) has again approached MS Dhoni to be a mentor to the national team.
The former India captain had worked as a mentor during the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE, with Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri serving as the captain and coach, respectively. However, the Men in Blue failed to make it to the knockouts. During the tournament, they lost to arch-rivals Pakistan by 10 wickets. This was their first defeat to the Men in Green in the World Cups.
Reported by CricBlogger, a BCCI source confirmed Dhoni was offered the position. “Dhoni is once more offered to guide Indian cricket,” the source said. The board feels his strategic mind, composed leadership, and experience in winning high-pressure tournaments could be useful in preparing the team for another world title challenge.
However, insiders believe that Dhoni might be reluctant to accept the offer because of the presence of Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the team. While Gambhir and Dhoni share mutual respect for their contribution to Indian cricket, they are expected to have ideological differences stemming from their playing days.
While India could not progress beyond the group stages in the 2021 T20 World Cup, Dhoni's service as a mentor was praised by many players who lauded him for providing valuable insights about the game.
The squad, which is expected to be picked for the upcoming edition, could have a lot of youngsters, and Dhoni's addition could work wonders for them. However, that will only be possible if Gambhir and Dhoni work cohesively as a unit.
Suryakumar Yadav-led India's next assignment is the Asia Cup, which begins on September 9. India are placed in Group A with the UAE, Pakistan, and Oman. The defending champions begin their campaign on September 10 when they face the UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
