"Don't see Dhoni changing anything from a skill point of view" - When Gautam Gambhir made a stunning remark on former captain's appointment as mentor

Team India's current head coach Gautam Gambhir pondered the reason behind appointing legendary captain MS Dhoni as mentor ahead of the 2021 T20 World Cup. Despite being among the dominant forces in world cricket, India appointed the former World Cup-winning skipper before the mega event in a bid to break their ICC title drought.

Dhoni led India to three ICC titles - the 2007 T20 and 2011 ODI World Cups and the 2013 Champions Trophy as captain. However, the Men in Blue struggled to triumph in an ICC event since 2013 despite dominating the league stages.

Talking about Dhoni's appointment as Team mentor, Gambhir said on Star Sports (via Times Now):

"I’m sure MS will share his experience. That probably is the only thing I can think of; apart from that, I don’t see MS Dhoni changing anything from a skill point of view. Ravi Shastri’s been there, Vikram Rathour has been there, and the entire support staff is there. So, probably MS can only add his experience to the players while probably going into the crunch games."

He added:

"It's not like India has struggled in T20 Cricket. Had India struggled in T20 cricket, they might have had to get someone from outside, but Dhoni's experience and his mindset of handling pressure in those crunched games could be one reason why they’ve got him as a mentor - not purely from the skill point of view, because these guys have got all the skill, to go out there and deliver."

Recent reports have suggested that India could once again have Dhoni as their Team mentor with the 2026 T20 World Cup in mind. The side triumphed in the 2024 edition, winning the tournament without a single defeat.

Team India endured a forgettable 2021 T20 World Cup campaign despite MS Dhoni's presence

MS Dhoni's presence as Team mentor surprisingly had little impact on India's performances on the field in the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE. Entering the tournament as one of the favorites, Virat Kohli's men suffered a shocking 10-wicket loss to arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening encounter.

Things went further downhill when India produced another dismal effort against New Zealand in a virtual must-win contest. The 2007 champions scored only 110 in their 20 overs, before conceding the runs in a mere 14.3 overs to the Kiwis.

India won their next three matches against the lower-ranked teams, but their ship had already sailed with the opening two losses. The Asian giants were eliminated from the competition before the knockout stages, finishing outside the top two of their group.