MS Dhoni reunites with Team India, named as side's mentor for T20 World Cup in UAE & Oman

BCCI on Wednesday announced that former captain MS Dhoni will mentor the Indian team in their ICC T20 World Cup campaign. To the much joy of Indian cricketing fans, the news was announced along with the Indian squad for the upcoming tournament. The World Cup begins on October 17 with the Group Stage matches and the super 12 matches will start from October 23 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. 

MS Dhoni is currently with Chennai Super Kings(CSK) for the resumption of the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League(IPL). The IPL is all set to resume on September 17, after being postponed mid-way through May, due to the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The first match after the resumption will be played between CSK and the Mumbai Indians. 

Dhoni made his last appearance for India in 2019

Dhoni is regarded as India’s one of the best captains to ever lead the Indian Team. He might have retired from international cricket, but his fans are always eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary skipper. He last made his appearance in a blue jersey in India’s 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal clash against New Zealand. India went on to lose the match after Dhoni, India’s last hope in the match was dismissed in a rare run-out. 

Following India’s exit, Dhoni took some time off the game. However, he was expected to be in India’s scheme of things for the T20 World Cup in 2020, to be held in Australia. However, the World Cup was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and shifted to UAE in 2021. Dhoni never returned on the field with the Men in Blue as he decided to retire from International Cricket on August 15, 2020. He will be now seen mentoring Team India as they head into the tournament with a strong squad.

India's 15-man team for ICC T20 World Cup: Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.

(Image Source: AP)