"Spoke to MS Dhoni and the Indian captain and head coach, everyone is on the same page"- Jay Shah on the former captain's appointment as a mentor
BCCI secretary Jay Shah on Wednesday revealed that he spoke to former Team India skipper MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli-led team management on the former being the mentor for the T20 World Cup. He said that both parties were on the same page regarding the decision.
Addressing the media via a virtual press conference following the announcement of India's squad, Jay Shah revealed that he spoke to Dhoni in Dubai. The former skipper was in agreement to serve as a mentor for the marquee event.
Shah said:
"So as far as MS Dhoni is concerned, I spoke to him when I was in Dubai so he was okay with the decision and he agreed to be the team mentor for the T20 World Cup only. I discussed this particular issue with my colleagues also, they are all on the same page,"
The T20 World Cup 2021 India squad for the quadrennial event was announced by the Chetan Sharma-led selection committee on Wednesday evening (September 08). The event will be hosted by the BCCI in the UAE and Oman between October 17 - November 14
While there were several surprises in the team-selection, the move that left everyone gobsmacked was the appointment of the 2007 T20 World Cup winning skipper MS Dhoni as a mentor.
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Kohli-Shastri in agreement with MS Dhoni's appointment as mentor: Jay Shah
Shah further revealed that the team-management led by captain Virat Kohli, vice-captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Ravi Shastri were also in agreement with the decision.
"I spoke to captain and vice-captain as well as head coach Ravi Shastri, they all are on the same page so that is why we reached a conclusion,"
MS Dhoni has led India in each of the last six T20 World Cups. The charismatic wicketkeeper-batsman kickstarted his journey as captain with a title triumph in the inaugural event in 2007.
The appointment of Dhoni as a mentor means that the former stumper will once again be back in Indian colors, albeit in a different role. The Ranchi cricketer announced his retirement from international cricket in August last year.
Dhoni is currently in the UAE where he will lead Chennai Super Kings in the 2nd leg of IPL 2021 from September 19.