Virat Kohli 'absolutely delighted' to have MS Dhoni as India's T20 World Cup mentor

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has admitted that the presence of legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni in India’s dressing room during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will help boost the team’s confidence by leaps and bounds. Dhoni is well known around the world for an eye for minute details and for providing practical advice whenever the team is in need of it. He was recently named as the mentor of Team India’s 15-men T20 World Cup squad by BCCI. His inclusion in the team as a mentor is a huge bonus for the team, as they continue to seek their first ICC trophy under the captaincy of Virat Kohli. 

Speaking during a pre-tournament media interaction, Virat Kohli expressed his thoughts on the inclusion of Dhoni. As per PTI, Indian skipper Kohli said, “He has got massive experience. He is quite excited himself. He has always been a mentor for all of us. Younger guys who are playing their first major tournaments at early stages of career will benefit. His eye for intricate details and practical advice will help improve the game by one or two percent. Absolutely delighted to have him…(His) presence will not only boost morale but also increase confidence that we already have.”

India start ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 campaign on October 24

India will play their opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24, at the Dubai International Stadium. India finds itself among Afghanistan, New Zealand, and Pakistan in the Group 2 of the tournament. Meanwhile, MS Dhoni joins the Indian squad after winning the fourth Indian Premier League(IPL) title for Chennai Super Kings on October 15. In the CSK vs KRR IPL 2021 final on Friday, CSK defeated KKR by 27 runs and clinched another title under MS Dhoni’s captaincy. MS Dhoni’s captaincy skills were on display during the match, as CSK made a comeback after being wicketless in the first 10 overs during KKR’s chase. CSK won the match after restricting KKR for 165/9 and picked up the IPL 2021 title.

India's Full Squad For ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021: 

Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma (vc), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Rahul Chahar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohd Shami.  

(With inputs from PTI)

(Image: AP)