"Had India struggled in T20 cricket, they might have had to get someone from outside" - Gautam Gambhir on MS Dhoni's new role
Former India batter Gautam Gambhir believes that there might be a specific role in the support group that India would be trying to fulfill by roping in MS Dhoni as the mentor. He wondered what exactly might have prompted them to bring in the former Indian skipper when India have been doing well in the T20 format.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the India squad for T20 World Cup yesterday (September 8). The announcement of MS Dhoni as the mentor of the team for the ICC tournament came as a surprise among the cricketing fraternity.
Gautam Gambhir reckons that skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri may have identified a specific role that Dhoni can fulfill in the support group.
“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 on Star Sports Network.
The cricketer-turned-politician added that Dhoni will be able to help out the team from a mental angle rather than working on their skillset.
“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.”
Take a look at who has taken the most wickets in T20 World Cup 2021 so far.
MS Dhoni will help youngsters to handle the pressure of important matches, reckons Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir pointed out that India have not had much success in recent times when it comes to knockout games. He hoped that MS Dhoni’s experience would help the team to handle the pressure better.
“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.”
India have lost three finals and three semifinals during the 2014-2021 period in ICC tournaments. The last major trophy that India won was the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013 under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.