Last week, BCCI announced India’s 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 and named former skipper MS Dhoni the team mentor.
This move came as a surprise for many and BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Monday (September 13) revealed why the decision to make Dhoni the mentor was taken.
"It's just to help the side in the World Cup. He has a good record in the T20 format for India and the Chennai Super Kings. There has been a lot of thought behind it. We discussed a lot and then decided to have him on board. We haven't won an ICC trophy since 2013," Ganguly told The Telegraph.
Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Indian team has improved by many folds and achieved great success in all forms of the game. However, he is yet to lead the side to an ICC trophy triumph.
With Kohli at the helm, Team India reached the final of the Champions Trophy in 2017, semi-final of ODI World Cup in 2019 and the final of the inaugural World Test Championship but failed to go the distance.
On the other hand, Dhoni remains the only captain in cricket history to win all three ICC titles in white-ball cricket – T20 World Cup 2007, ODI World Cup 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013.
Ganguly compared Dhoni's appointment to Steve Waugh's similar role with the Australian team during the 2019 Ashes in England.
"Remember Australia had Steve Waugh in a similar role when they drew the Ashes 2-2 in England the last time. The presence of such heavyweights in big-ticket events always helps," the BCCI chief added.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be held in UAE and Oman from October 17 to November 14. Team India will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai.
