ICC T20 World Cup: MS Dhoni took his time before final decision | Cricket News – Times of India
On Independence Day last year, MS Dhoni surprised all by announcing that he would be retiring from all international cricket.
A little more than a year later, his return to the Team India fold as ‘mentor’ for the T20 World Cup in the UAE has been equally surprising.
Indian cricket board (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said on Wednesday after the announcement of the Indian team that he had had a meeting with Dhoni and the former India captain had been brought on board for ICC T20 event.
The meeting that happened in Dubai about 10 days ago lasted around 90 minutes and TOI understands that Dhoni had not said “yes” immediately. According to sources close to the development, the Chennai Super Kings captain was initially a little reluctant to take on the role. “It was a request to which he couldn’t say no to, but he took his time before giving his nod,” a source said.
When the offer was made, captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri were obviously consulted. But the feeling is Dhoni himself must have had a discussion with Kohli before giving his consent.
“In the initial proposal, the term ‘mentor’ wasn’t mentioned. It was more of an advisory role to the team. But it was Dhoni’s equation with Virat that proved to be the clincher,” the source added.
Virat and Dhoni worked brilliantly in tandem after the Jharkhand cricketer stepped down from India’s limited-overs captaincy in 2017. The sight of wicketkeeper Dhoni setting the field, even as Kohli chose to field closer to the boundary line to make optimum use of his superb throwing arm, became common in both T20Is and ODIs in 2018-19.
“Kohli always valued Dhoni’s judgement and that has to be one of the reasons behind his decision to do the mentorship,” the source added. It is true that both are strong personalities, but Shastri is towards the fag end of his tenure as coach: his contract is till the T20 World Cup, and it’s unlikely that he will get into any confrontation with a legend of Indian cricket.
So what does Dhoni bring to the table as ‘mentor’? “It is Dhoni’s T20 intelligence. Due to his IPL commitments, is extremely aware of the goings-on of the T20 world,” the source added.
A little more than a year later, his return to the Team India fold as ‘mentor’ for the T20 World Cup in the UAE has been equally surprising.
Indian cricket board (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah said on Wednesday after the announcement of the Indian team that he had had a meeting with Dhoni and the former India captain had been brought on board for ICC T20 event.
The meeting that happened in Dubai about 10 days ago lasted around 90 minutes and TOI understands that Dhoni had not said “yes” immediately. According to sources close to the development, the Chennai Super Kings captain was initially a little reluctant to take on the role. “It was a request to which he couldn’t say no to, but he took his time before giving his nod,” a source said.
When the offer was made, captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri were obviously consulted. But the feeling is Dhoni himself must have had a discussion with Kohli before giving his consent.
“In the initial proposal, the term ‘mentor’ wasn’t mentioned. It was more of an advisory role to the team. But it was Dhoni’s equation with Virat that proved to be the clincher,” the source added.
Virat and Dhoni worked brilliantly in tandem after the Jharkhand cricketer stepped down from India’s limited-overs captaincy in 2017. The sight of wicketkeeper Dhoni setting the field, even as Kohli chose to field closer to the boundary line to make optimum use of his superb throwing arm, became common in both T20Is and ODIs in 2018-19.
“Kohli always valued Dhoni’s judgement and that has to be one of the reasons behind his decision to do the mentorship,” the source added. It is true that both are strong personalities, but Shastri is towards the fag end of his tenure as coach: his contract is till the T20 World Cup, and it’s unlikely that he will get into any confrontation with a legend of Indian cricket.
So what does Dhoni bring to the table as ‘mentor’? “It is Dhoni’s T20 intelligence. Due to his IPL commitments, is extremely aware of the goings-on of the T20 world,” the source added.
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