Dubai: India captain Virat Kohli claimed to be ‘absolutely delighted’ to have MS Dhoni back in the Indian team setup, having Dhoni will hold his side in good state and will boost the morale of the team further. MS Dhoni, who on Friday led CSK to their fourth IPL title, joinedV the national side in the role of a mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The 40 year old who captained India to victory at the inaugural World T20 tournament in 2007, has led them in every edition to date, including their defeat to Sri Lanka in the final, has been appointed as the mentor of the India National Cricket Team for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, which is all set to take place from October 17 with the qualifying rounds. The T20 World Cup will take place in UAE and Oman in a total of 4 venues Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. India will kick off their campaign against Pakistan on October 24.
“Massive experience. He is quite excited about getting back in this environment. He has always been a mentor for all of us, when we were starting our careers at that time he played and now he has the same opportunity to continue the same again. Especially for the younger guys who are in early stages of their career, just experience that he has gained over the years and having conversations with him about the game,” Virat Kohli said during a online event organised by the ICC ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Kohli also reckons the presence of the two-time World Cup-winning captain will boost their morale and would prove important with his ‘practical inputs’ on where the match is going and how the team can improve with strategies for the game using his immense experience.
“He makes a difference when he is in a leadership role in any team. Absolutely delighted to have him in the environment. He will certainly boost the morale of this team further. Such practical inputs and such intricate details of where the game is going and where we can improve,” he explained.
“Winning the World Cup is definitely our goal like any other team. But I think what we’ve been able to create in the last five, six years is beyond titles and tournaments, to be honest.
We’ve been able to create a culture which I think is going to be lasting a long time, where people want to be the best they can be, the fittest they can be. But winning an ICC tournament will definitely be a wonderful moment for all of us, something that we’re absolutely motivated to do and we’ll give everything we have.” he concluded.
