7th edition of ICC t20 world cup Only getting bigger and better. As if the star players of each participating team are not enough, some teams have big names from the past assisting them.
Mahela Jayawardene has been named Sri Lanka’s mentor for this tournament, Australian Matthew Hayden completed his IPL commentary stint and joined the Pakistan team’s coaching staff the next day. Fresh from coaching Chennai Super Kings to their fourth IPL title, New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming joined the Black Caps to share his expertise a few days before their first second round match next week (the first round involved eight teams). four of which are qualifiers) will qualify for the top eight in the second round).
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And, India has its own Mahendra Singh Dhoni who is the mentor for this tournament in one-off assignments. There is no doubt that Dhoni has the ability to win titles and take his team to new heights. He did this in his first major assignment as the captain of Team India by winning the inaugural T20 World Cup title in South Africa in 2007.
The 40-year-old Dhoni led India to win their second trophy in their first World Cup as captain in 2011. He led Chennai Super Kings to their fourth IPL title last Friday. In addition, he led India to the World No. 1 rank in Tests and picked up the ICC mace, a symbol of India’s supremacy in red-ball cricket, more than a decade ago.
With his appointment as the mentor of the Indian team, the BCCI is hopeful that India will win the T20 World Cup, an ICC title that the Men in Blue under the captaincy of Virat Kohli have lost.
Dhoni knows that it is not going to be an easy task as a mentor of the Indian team. In his first game as Team India’s mentor, he may have been on a winning side in the warm-up match against England on Monday night. Exactly what have been Dhoni’s inputs that helped India successfully chase down England’s 188/5 with one over remaining is not yet known.
But, as he settles into his role, Dhoni will certainly play a major role when every member of the sports group as well as the Ravi Shastri-led coaching staff, all attend his final assignment as coach of the Indian team. Will be
To help you better understand, News18.com Spoke with former India fast bowler, Lakshmipathy Balaji, who has known Dhoni for nearly two decades, played with and under him in India colors and CSK colours, and as bowling coach for a few years now at CSK has been installed in.
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Speaking from Dubai, still savoring last week’s latest IPL title win, Balaji said that Dhoni will not interfere in the roles of coaches who are already in the Indian team. Shastri has been one of the biggest fans of Dhoni and his achievements, having entered the Indian team as a television commentator in 2004 and dropped out in 2020 (though Dhoni’s last match for India was in the 2019 ICC World Cup ) as head coach.
“Dhoni was also a part of the same set till two years back. They have been part of the group. In such a situation, this is not a new thing for Dhoni. Knowing Dhoni very well, he is not someone who crosses the line,” said 40-year-old Balaji.
The former right-arm pacer, who played eight Tests, 30 ODIs and five T20 Internationals, including four in the 2012 T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka under Dhoni, said: “It’s a completely different ball game when it comes to MS. The game is-field contributor and off-the-field contributor. He has proved himself over the years because of his easy going approach towards the game and the fact that anyone can walk up to him and talk about the game. Of course the aura of MS Dhoni is going to be there. But, what he has retained over the years with different age groups of cricketers is his ability to connect.
“He has the ability to break the ice between seniors and juniors in the team. Over the past decade and a half, I have seen Dhoni as a leader, first as a CSK player and then as a member of CSK’s support staff, his ability to connect with cricketers. You don’t want a distracting entity. All the current players of the Indian team have played a lot of cricket with Dhoni. There will be no dearth of communication between them.”
Asked if he got a chance to discuss Dhoni’s role as Team India’s mentor, Balaji said there was no discussion about it as CSK were focusing on winning the IPL title. Balaji, however, said that Dhoni would bridge some of the loose links, if any, in the Indian team.
Balaji said: “A mentor is a link holder, not a link creator. This Indian team is already led by a leadership group. Therefore, when it comes to rebuilding or re-establishing, the role is less, as it is an already established entity. All the major components are already set. It’s about stabilizing it or making it a little stronger. There is one marginal factor, which we fail to notice.
“Even if the team is successful, there is something that no one has been able to address. Sometimes, that ‘something’ is seen from the outside. This is where Dhoni’s expert guidance works. comes, which makes it easy for the team. Dhoni has been a part of all the last six T20 World Cups – all as captain. And, in tournaments like the T20 World Cup, Dhoni is the one who graced many tournaments Has, been there and done, knows how white ball cricket is being played. It’s the little links like communication and the players opening up to him that Dhoni will look to strengthen in the team,” he said.
To give just one example, we have seen openly over the years how Dhoni made young Rishabh Pant feel comfortable and took him under his wing in international cricket in the latter’s early days. The friendship between them is so relaxed that Pant can take the liberty of pulling Dhoni’s leg and both laugh about it well, although they have been rival captains in the IPL and the age difference between them is 16 years.
Balaji continued: “A big advantage is that Dhoni is very open. This approach will make people feel comfortable with him. This is from the communication aspect of it. The trust that Dhoni has in the players and vice versa. Dhoni has to rely on your moves, your approach, even if the approach is old school. What I have seen across generations of cricketers is that even though the approach is old school, it is accepted because of Dhoni’s trust. It may be a little sour but in the end they will enjoy the fruits of it. Dhoni gives assurance to the players, attaching importance to a sense of belonging as well as individuality.
Thin with an infectious smile, former pacer Balaji said Dhoni’s inputs on the tactical side of the game could be second to none. “As a player, as a leader, Dhoni has worked with a lot of coaches over the years. He has handled a lot of them, sometimes two-three of them in a team. And, he has come well with all of them without any hiccups, without any miscommunication, without losing momentum,” said Balaji, who has taken 71 international wickets across formats.
“Dhoni has been able to get what he wants from his players. Their biggest advantage is their ability to remain calm and do simple things. This team may have some tactical changes in the knockout stages of major tournaments. The team has, in the past, made emotional changes to the team. In the end, those changes were made to benefit the party, as we learn later. Look this way, we have a top order which is intact but the middle order department needs to be looked at and the fifth bowler option has been unconvinced. It has been hampering India’s prospects in recent times, which I am sure will be seen with greater clarity with Dhoni. With Dhoni’s experience, there will be more clarity and nothing complicated will happen,” analyzed Balaji.
Dhoni’s presence is expected to help Kohli step down from India’s T20 captaincy and not get the ICC trophy from his cabinet. Dhoni encouraged Kohli in his early days and believed in his abilities. Kohli grew up under Dhoni’s wing and eventually took over as India’s captain, first in the longest format and then in limited overs, even leading the Jharkhand legend in the latter two years in international cricket. left.
The bonding between Dhoni and Kohli is amazing. Balaji said: “Both Dhoni and Kohli have had a cordial relationship from the very beginning. Both know what kind of trust they have for each other. I am sure whatever he gets from Dhoni and his experience, Kohli will take it.
Balaji concluded: “Dhoni is a man of simple words. For so many years he has kept it very simple. And his approach has yielded desired results for his team, be it Team India or CSK. He is not the kind of person who will just say borderline. He will get it done by others on the field. Dhoni has his own pattern of leadership.
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