Dhoni’s calming influence will help the team: Ojha

Hyderabad: The BCCI sprang a surprise on Wednesday while announcing the 15-member squad to the T20 World Cup by naming former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a mentor of the team. After announcing his retirement from international cricket, Dhoni will don a new role in the Indian team. Many of the pundits have welcomed […]

Hyderabad: The BCCI sprang a surprise on Wednesday while announcing the 15-member squad to the T20 World Cup by naming former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a mentor of the team. After announcing his retirement from international cricket, Dhoni will don a new role in the Indian team.

Many of the pundits have welcomed this decision. Former Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha said it was one of the wise decisions by the BCCI. “His calming influence in crunch situations and his vast experience will definitely will help the team in a big tournament like the World Cup.’’

---

But mentoring the team is not new to Dhoni, according to Ojha. “He has been a mentor to the Indian team for many years ever since he quit the captaincy. As a captain he had that responsibility but after that he eased into a different role before he retired from international cricket. Even when Virat Kohli was captain, Dhoni was playing this role as a mentor and as a player. Now it will be different and this time he will not play but will be in the team as a mentor.’’

Ojha stated that the BCCI has cleverly put a cushion for Kohli in this World Cup. “All eyes will be on Dhoni in this new role. I’m sure Virat, Ravi Shastri and MS Dhoni will work together. Dhoni will make sure he will be available when Kohli needs him and not try to impose himself on the players or the captain or the coach. He will be available for any help if the side needs it. The best part is that Dhoni has good understanding with Ravi Shastri, Virat and Rohit Sharma. They are all on the same page. To involve him in T20 World Cup is good thing to happen to Indian cricket.’’

Talking about Dhoni when he made his international debut in 2009, Ojha said as a young player when he had senior players like Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni among others. “Apart from the warm welcome, Dhoni as captain made us comfortable. He was clear in his thoughts and told us what he expected from us. As a youngster, one is nervous but Dhoni always made the players comfortable. As a player, you could see your roadmap.

“I think more than learning about the game, he always gave a free hand while executing your game plan. He would make sure that I would get a decent field placement. He gave that freedom and gave that confidence to the bowler.’’

The 35-year-old spinner said Dhoni was a master strategist and would plot a batsman’s dismissal nicely. `He read the game very well and it came very handy to a bowler. As a captain, he would guide to us in crucial situation of the game.’’

Ojha said one should not compare Dhoni’s cool captaincy with the aggressive leadership of Kohli. “Each has his own style. Virat is aggressive and that helps him. Dhoni was not expressive but at the same time he had his own style. There are many times he lost his cool after all he is a human being. But he never expressed it openly. His way of conveying things was different from Rahul Dravid on Sourav Ganguly or Virat Kohli. ‘’

---

Now you can get handpicked stories from Telangana Today on Telegram everyday. Click the link to subscribe.

Click to follow Telangana Today Facebook page and Twitter .

---