Former captain MS Dhoni was named the Indian cricket team’s mentor for the ICC T20I World Cup. This was announced right after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) laid out the 15-man squad for the World Cup.

Although Virat Kohli has been doing a pretty good job with the Indian team in different series, his inability to win any major ICC trophy seems to have prompted the Indian cricket board to bring in MS Dhoni, a year after he retired.

“Former India Captain MS Dhoni to mentor the team for the T20 World Cup,” announced BCCI secretary Jay Shah in a press conference.

“(I) spoke to him (MSD) in Dubai. He agreed to be a mentor for WT20 only and I discussed with my colleagues and all are on the same page. I spoke to captain (Virat Kohli) and vice-captain (Rohit Sharma) and everyone agreed,” Shah added.

India will open their campaign against Pakistan on October 24.

Being the only Indian captain to win all three ICC white-ball trophies, the 40-year-old astute leader knows how to pull off big games.

This also comes in the background of current coach Ravi Shastri‘s tenure coming to an end after the World Cup.

Reportedly, Dhoni’s suggestions will have a great bearing on how the head coach and captain select their playing XI in the UAE.

Dhoni’s appointment works as a makeshift plan after Shastri’s tenure ends. According to media reports, the BCCI wanted a “trusted old hand” who had a “cordial working relationship” with the management that’s currently in charge of the team.

The board is also hopeful that Dhoni will help Kohli in lifting a major trophy. “No one can guide this Indian team better than Dhoni. He has plenty of experience and the players trust him a lot. His presence in the dugout will help players and support staff. Jay (Shah) felt that Dhoni is the only person who can help the team during the T20 World Cup, so he dialled him,” Indian Express quoted a BCCI official as saying.

The World Cup will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman in a total of 4 venues — Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah.

India is in Group 2 of T20 World Cup alongside Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan and two qualifiers.