MS Dhoni takes baby steps into coaching role; set to mentor Jharkhand

M.S.Dhoni at a press conference

Indian ODI captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is taking his first steps to become a cricket coach. He was appointed to play the role of a mentor for Jharkhand in the upcoming All India Buchi Babu tournament beginning on 5th August in Chennai. This will be the first task of ‘Captain Cool’ in a managerial position, although he is yet to retire from competitive international cricket. Dhoni is highly regarded as a great motivator by his teammates and countrymen and it will be interesting to see how he calls the shots in his new innings.

The right-hander played his last International match against Zimbabwe leading an inexperienced side to an ODI series victory. The final confirmation about India’s T20 series against West Indies in the United States of America later this month was announced on Tuesday, and will be led by MS Dhoni. Two T20 Internationals will be played on 27th and 28th August and will be played in Florida.

The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association secretary confirmed to the Times of India about Dhoni’s mentorship role and said, "Dhoni will be mentoring Jharkhand in the tournament and is likely to arrive in Chennai on August 10. He will not be playing, though."

The World Cup winning captain will get some useful practice in the nets with the Jharkhand players which would help him become match-fit for the T20 series in the USA. A veteran of 90 Tests and 278 One-Day Internationals, Dhoni’s experience will be more than useful for Jharkhand.

Subramanian Badrinath, his teammate during the playing days of Chennai Super Kings feels that the Indian wicket-keeper will boost the confidence of the state team and help them perform better. He said, "Having played the game across all formats for India for such a long time, Dhoni is apt for the role of mentor. He knows how to remain calm under pressure and how one can raise his game during crunch situations. His experience and knowledge of the game will surely be a big boost for a team that he is mentoring."

Dhoni retired from Test cricket after the Boxing Day test against Australia back in 2014. The ‘Men in Blue’ were having a horrid series Down Under trailing 0-2 before the Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26th December. Dhoni called it a day in the longer version after the match ended in a draw, and handed the reins to Virat Kohli to lead the side in the penultimate Test.