Former Indian selector and wicketkeeper-batsman Saba Karim believes that the biggest reason behind the appointment of MS Dhoni as Team India mentor is to get an outside perspective in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021 to be played from October 17 in the UAE and Oman.
The former BCCI official also called for clarity from the Indian team management over Dhoni's role in the Indian cricket team for the T20 World Cup 2021 to avoid a clash of opinions and controversy.
However, Karim hopes that the partnership between Virat Kohli and Dhoni will work well and provide India success in the upcoming global event in the UAE and Oman.
Karim told Sports Tak, “I think the biggest reason to include MS Dhoni is sometimes you need an outside perspective to say whether the strategies you have made, whether the XI you are playing is right. When you have an experienced player like MS Dhoni who is experienced, has been a world champion, and is playing cricket actively, his contribution is important.”
He added, “A word of caution will be to define Dhoni's role clearly because you don't want controversy. We all can hope that the pairing of Kohli and Dhoni off the field will work well and provide India success.”
Meanwhile, the former cricketer has picked the West Indies, India, and England as the top contenders to win the T20 World Cup later this year. However, he is also impressed with the recent performances of South Africa and New Zealand in the T20I format.
Well, he picked India as the top favorites to win the T20 World Cup trophy since the tournament will be played in the UAE and hopes Rishabh Pant will be their X-factor. India will begin their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign against Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai.
Karim further mentioned, “I think it is West Indies, India, England and a toss-up between South Africa and New Zealand. West Indies have won the World Cup twice but because the tournament is played in the UAE, I will place my bet on India.”
He signed off by saying, “I think Rishabh Pant will be the X-factor for India. I wish the performances that he has given in Test cricket; he can replicate those in T20 too.”
