Former India captain MS Dhoni was appointed as the mentor of Team India on Wednesday for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021, scheduled to take place between October 17 and November 14. Speaking on the same, Gautam Gambhir believes that skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri may have identified a specific role that Dhoni can fulfill in the support group.
The legendary cricketer will once again be back in the Indian cricket team dugout for the first time since the 2019 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. Speaking on Sony Sports Network, Gautam Gambhir stated that the move means that Shastri and Kohli need something specific apart from the group of support staff they already have.
The Reunion we all have been waiting for 🤝 @msdhoni returns to mentor #TeamIndia for the #T20WorldCup 🙌
How excited are you to see him back? 💙 pic.twitter.com/znPWBLeYNo
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 8, 2021
“I am sure his (Dhoni’s) role will be defined. You’ve got the head coach, you’ve got the assistant coach, you’ve got the bowling coach. So I am sure there has to be something from Virat Kohli or from Ravi Shastri that they would want apart from what they already have. Because India has been very successful in T20 cricket. It’s not that India struggled in T20 cricket. Had India struggled in T20 cricket, they might have had to get someone from outside,” Gambhir said.
Adding further, Gautam Gambhir highlighted that MS Dhoni’s addition will help the side improve mentally during the gruelling event.
“But probably, MS’s experience or probably his mindset of handling pressure in those crunch games is probably the reason why they have got him as a mentor. Not purely from a skill point of view, because these guys have got all the skills to go out there and deliver,” Gautam Gambhir added.
MS Dhoni will help youngster manage pressure on important clashes: Gautam Gambhir
The cricketer-turned-politician hoped that MS Dhoni’s experience would help the team to handle the pressure better.
💬 💬 Mr. @msdhoni will join #TeamIndia for the upcoming #T20WorldCup as a mentor.
The announcement from Mr. @JayShah, Honorary Secretary, BCCI, which made the entire nation happy.👍 pic.twitter.com/2IaCynLT8J
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 8, 2021
“It’s just about how to handle pressure in those important games. Because India have actually missed out on those important games, especially the knockout games. So probably MS’s experience of captaining the side or probably handling the pressure in those important games could be a huge advantage for these young players,” Gambhir signed off.
