MUMBAI : India’s legend Kapil Dev has lauded BCCI’s decision to appoint MS Dhoni as the mentor of the Indian national team for the T20 World Cup, saying it seems a special case since he has come back to the setup only one year after retirement.
BCCI on Wednesday made a surprise announcement on Dhoni’s role when the squad for the T20 World Cup was named. Jay Shah said that MS Dhoni showed keen interest to contribute to the Indian team when he approached the former skipper with the proposal. The BCCI secretary said he is glad that Dhoni agreed to come on board as a mentor for what is a crucial assignment for Virat Kohli and his side in the UAE.
Kapil Dev believes there should be a gap of at least three to four years for a retired cricketer to come back to the national setup.
“It is a good decision. I have always been of the opinion that once a cricketer retires he should come back to the setup only after three-four years but this seems like a special case with the World Cup around the corner. Ravi (Shastri) is also down with COVID so it looks a special case,” Kapil said.
MS Dhoni is expected to join the squad after completion of his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 stint with Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni arrived in Dubai last month and has been training with a few of his CSK teammates for the resumption of the tournament from September 19.
India announced a 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup and named 3 stand-by players. While off-spinner R Ashwin returned to the side, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, all-rounder Krunal Pandya and opener Shikhar Dhawan were among the notable omissions.(India Today- Reuters Pix)
