In Depth: Why MS Dhoni was appointed mentor for Team India

The story of MS Dhoni’s return to Team India’s dressing room for the World T20 has surely excited all cricket fans and analysts. The prospect of seeing MS Dhoni in the dugout later this year at the World T20 along with skipper 0Virat Kohli & head coach Ravi Shastri is a dream come true but editorji explains how this was not an easy task. This is the story of how BCCI led by President Sourav Ganguly convinced Mahi and why exactly did the board look at the 40-year-old who retired from international cricket on 15th August 2020.

Dhoni without a doubt has been one of the most successful captains in world cricket. His impact on Team India has been enormous and the players & analysts alike rave about his decision making and calm and composed nature. His record of being the only international captain to win all 3 ICC trophies speaks volumes about his achievement. His stint with the Men in Blue is over but why did BCCI call up Captain Cool to become the mentor despite having the experienced Ravi Shastri as the head coach?

A senior BCCI official told editorji that Virat Kohli & Ravi Shastri have been no doubt very successful but their inability to win big trophies has been an area of concern for the board. Virat has not won a single ICC trophy but despite that, he has achieved a lot. Dhoni on the other hand has been a big stage great and won plenty of titles for Team India including the 2011 World Cup, 2007 World T20 & 2013 Champions Trophy. To add more, MSD has nailed 3 IPL titles while Virat is still waiting to open his account.

BCCI official privy to the developments confirmed that Virat Kohli despite having a very good rapport with MS Dhoni wasn’t pleased with the appointment. The final seal of approval came from BCCI supremo Sourav Ganguly who was also the instigator in chief. MS who will lead Chennai Super Kings when IPL resumes in the UAE wasn’t very keen and took a bit of convincing.

The reason behind MS Dhoni’s appointment goes beyond Virat’s failure as captain in the big tournaments. Since MSD has played quite a lot in the UAE especially over the last two seasons of IPL, the board officials stood convinced with the idea. The BCCI official confirming the development also told editorji that MSD was also consulted during the squad selection for World T20 where we saw the return of Ravichandran Ashwin to the shortest format.

The prospect of having the trio of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri together in the dugout is surely exciting but certain board officials are concerned about the synergy between them. While all three would not want to step on each other’s tails, a poor show might just lead to a trial by media and upset fans. But the prospect of winning another world title with MS Dhoni in the dressing room is what drove the decision-makers as the former India captain didn’t get a proper farewell when he retired from international cricket. Who knows what the team will achieve at the World T20 but a title will surely be a perfect farewell to the man who is considered one of the greatest leaders in world cricket.