Many surprising omissions were made as India released the 15-man team for the 2021 T20 World Cup, but the choice of MS Dhoni as the team’s mentor stole the spotlight. It will be the first instance since declaring his retirement in August 2020 that Dhoni will be seen in an international context. Read the Article to know Why BCCI Appointed MS Dhoni As Team Mentor For T20 World Cup
Why BCCI Appointed MS Dhoni As Team Mentor For T20 World Cup
Despite Dhoni is still the captain of his IPL team Chennai Super Kings, he performed his last international match versus New Zealand in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final. In response to Dhoni’s appointment as an Indian team mentor, BCCI President Sourav Ganguly stated that the choice was made with the team’s circumstances in mind. According to Ganguly, the team hasn’t won an ICC Trophy since 2013, and Dhoni’s perfect T20 records can be extremely beneficial to the team.
“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,” said Ganguly.
The presence of prominent personalities in big-ticket events always helps: Ganguly
Ganguly further went on to compare Dhoni’s appointment as a mentor to Australia’s Steve Waugh in the Ashes series. Ganguly believes that having such prominent personalities on the side helps the team progress. India won the last ICC Trophy in 2013, under Dhoni’s captaincy. MS Dhoni has the record of being the only captain in the world to lift each ICC trophy under his belt.
“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,” added Ganguly.
India will face Pakistan in the 1st encounter of the T20 World Cup on October 24, and it is expected to be the most anticipated tournament of the high-profile event, which begins on October 17.
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