Following Chennai SuperKings’ fourth Indian Premier League title, MS Dhoni has united with the Indian contingent for the upcoming T20I World Cup.
Last month, MS Dhoni was roped in as a mentor to the Indian team for the T20I World Cup. He has now joined the Indian squad members and support staff. The three-time ICC tournament winning-captain has an abundance of leadership skills and will be keen on sharing his experience with the younger players.
MS Dhoni was spotted along with Ravi Shastri and the rest of the coaching staff in a couple of pictures included along with the post.
Despite being very dominant in cricket over the last five years, India has failed to capture a title. MS Dhoni, who recently led CSK to their fourth IPL crown, will be eager to help India win their first ICC trophy since 2013.
India will play England and Australia in the two warm-up games before the start of the actual tournament. India is placed in Group 2, which includes the likes of New Zealand, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Two more teams will be added to this group after the completion of the qualification phase.
India will kick off their T20I World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, 24th October. Dhoni will have fond memories of the two India vs Pakistan matches in the first-ever T20I World Cup in 2007.
India came out on top on both of those occasions. While the first match was decided through a bowl-out, the other game was the inaugural T20I World Cup final, which India eventually won. MS Dhoni was leading the country for the first time, and it was an excellent launchpad for India’s success in the coming years.
With the number of youngsters in the squad this time around, MS Dhoni’s presence in the dressing room will be vital. He will also have a say in the decision-making as there hasn’t been a more astute cricketing brain over the last 15 years.