T20 World Cup – MS Dhoni Mentoring Role: If recent reports are to be believed, Team India’s dirty laundry has now come out in the open. It’s clear, all wasn’t well between the captain, Virat Kohli and the players within the confines of the Indian Indian team’s dressing room off late.
Now InsideSport.co will reveal to you something which to date was puzzling everyone. How and why all of a sudden BCCI has roped in MS Dhoni as a mentor of the Indian team for the T20 World Cup in UAE?
According to sources in the BCCI, Dhoni was called to be with the team not only to mentor them – but more importantly to bind them together. The source further informed InsideSport.co that differences within the dressing room reached such a level that the decision-makers in the BCCI were worried that it would badly impact the performance of the team in the T20 World Cup.
The BCCI sources further confirmed that as complaints about Kohli’s differences within the team started reaching them – BCCI’s big-wigs felt that Dhoni might just be the balm for the growing dissent against the captain in the team’s dressing room.
Also Read: T20 World Cup: MS Dhoni is a great leader, appointment as mentor not to undermine anybody, says BCCI
T20 World Cup: Was MS Dhoni brought in to stop dressing room rift between the players and Virat Kohli?
T20 World Cup – What exactly happened in the Indian team dressing room? As per reports, a few senior players had complained to the BCCI after Virat Kohli’s run down in the dressing room post the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand. Kohli questioned the players’ intent especially of Cheteshwar Pujara and following that vice-captain on the tour, Ajinkya Rahane had complained to BCCI secretary Jay Shah saying that the players were unhappy, IANS and New Indian Express reported.
A month after the incident, reports emerged that Virat Kohli was mulling over the decision to step down. While BCCI rubbished the reports, Virat Kohli did step down, albeit from T20Is a week later.
T20 World Cup: However, in between that, BCCI had installed former India captain MS Dhoni as India’s mentor, indicating that the board wanted to alleviate the tension between the captain and the players. As all players in India’s dressing room respect Dhoni including Kohli, the BCCI expects a calming effect in the dressing room.
T20 World Cup: Why was MS Dhoni brought in as the mentor?
- Virat Kohli questioned the intent of three players and gave a dressing room run-down pulling up Ashwin, Rahane and Pujara.
- It didn’t go down well with the three players.
- Kohli’s poor run of form further complicated the situation. It was thought that his poor form led to poor decision making.
- Ravichandran Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara and vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane decided to inform BCCI secretary Jay Shah about their displeasure about Virat Kohli within the dressing room.
- BCCI immediately stepped in and talked to the players and tried to calm the situation.
- But Virat Kohli ignoring Ravichandran Ashwin from the Test series against England further fuelled the fire. Even head coach Ravi Shastri batted for Ashwin’s inclusion but Kohli opted to go with Jadeja citing combination.
- After the Test series, Ashwin was included in the T20 World Cup squad in place of Yuzvendra Chahal although Kohli wanted the latter while Rohit Sharma supported the decision.
- That irked Kohli and to alleviate the situation, BCCI brought in MS Dhoni as he is widely respected amongst Indian players.
- Virat Kohli announced he would step down from Team India’s T20I captaincy after the World Cup.
- Dhoni’s mentorship is a temporary fix and Kohli is expected to step down from the ODI captaincy too in near future or BCCI may remove him soon.
BCCI meanwhile is denying any rift with-in the Indian team dressing room
“The media must stop writing this rubbish. Let me say this on the record that no Indian cricketer has made any complaint to the BCCI – written or verbal. The BCCI can’t keep answering every false report that keeps appearing. Who said that?” BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal told TOI on Wednesday.
T20 World Cup: Was MS Dhoni brought in to stop dressing room rift between players and Virat Kohli?
It remains to be seen if India fails to win the T20 World Cup, would Virat Kohli step down from captaincy in all formats.
T20 World Cup, MS Dhoni Mentoring Role, Virat Kohli, Rift in Indian Team, BCCI
