'Did He Pick Up The Phone?': Gautam Gambhir's Ex-KKR Teammate Takes Playful Dig At Reports Of MS Dhoni Being Offered Team India Mentorship

India are gearing up for the World T20 that is scheduled to be played next year. If India qualify to play for the Asia Cup final, they will play a total of 22 T20I games till the time they start their campaign in the World T20 next year. The upcoming 2025 edition of the Asia Cup will be nothing but a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup. India will defend their title in front of their home crowd next year and they will start the tournament as favourites.

Manoj Tiwary Reacts To Reports Of MS Dhoni Becoming India Mentor

The Indian team, irrespective of formats, is going through a transitional phase and there isn't much time left for the T20 World Cup. With few days to go for the start of India's Asia Cup 2025 game, several reports started to do the rounds that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has approached former India captain MS Dhoni to be the mentor for the Indian cricket team.

The first time Dhoni served as the mentor of the Indian cricket team was back in 2021 when India were knocked out from the first round of the T20 World Cup. Indian Head Coach Gautam Gambhir's former Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Manoj Tiwary was asked about MS Dhoni being offered the mentorship role to which he had a very quirky reply.

ALSO READ | 'The Talent Is Unbelievable': Ex-English Spinner Backs Shreyas Iyer's T20I Credentials, Explains The Biggest Reason Behind His Asia Cup 2025 Snub

"Did he pick up the phone? Because it is difficult to reach him on the phone. The first thing is whether he will accept the role or not... His experience as a captain and player will be very useful, as the new players emerging today and becoming stars of the Indian team give him a lot of respect. The pairing of MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir will also be worth watching," said Manoj Tiwary while speaking to ANI.

ALSO READ | Shubman Gill Unleashes Beast Mode In The Training Nets, Grinds Hard While Fine Tuning Batting Skills Ahead Of Asia Cup 2025

India To Open Their Asia Cup Campaign Against UAE

The Indian cricket team will start their journey towards the World T20 with the Asia Cup. The Asia Cup will be India's first assignment on their quest to retain the World Cup. The 'men in blue' will open their Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a match against the United Arab Emirates that will be played at the Dubai International Stadium.