“Did he even pick up the phone?” - Ex-Indian cricketer opens up on reports of MS Dhoni taking up Team India mentorship role

Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary has opened up on the reports of MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir joining forces in the Indian cricket team’s coaching set-up for the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

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According to reports surfacing on the internet, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is considering appointing the former Indian captain, Dhoni, as a mentor of Team India for the upcoming T20 mega event, scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka.

If the appointment goes as per the plan, Dhoni would be joining Gambhir, bringing two Indian stalwarts who played a crucial role in India’s 2011 World Cup win. Speaking exclusively to ANI, Tiwary stated that it’s tough to get through to Dhoni as he rarely answers calls and messages.

Furthermore, Tiwary asserted that if Dhoni accepts the mentorship role, his experience as a captain and a player would be invaluable for the current crop of cricketers, who are part of the T20I set-up.

“Did he even pick up the phone? It’s tough to get through to him because he rarely answers calls or even replies to messages. The real question is whether he would accept the role. But if he does, his experience as a captain and a player will be invaluable. The younger players coming into the team have huge respect for him. A Gambhir-Dhoni combination on the coaching bench will be worth watching,” Tiwary told ANI.

It’s important to note that Dhoni served as Team India’s mentor during the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021 when Virat Kohli was the captain and Ravi Shastri was the coach of the team. However, India failed to go past the Super 12 stage after putting up a mediocre performance. They suffered defeats against Pakistan by 10 wickets and New Zealand by eight wickets.

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