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Amid reports of MS Dhoni being offered the role of India mentor for 2026 T20 World Cup, his former teammate feels it will be interesting to see him team up with Gautam Gambhir.
MS Dhoni is widely regarded as one of India’s greatest cricketers. (PTI Photo)
MS Dhoni has reportedly been offered the role of mentor by the BCCI but unlike his previous stint during the 2021 T20 World Cup in a similar capacity, this one is broader in scope and includes all the national cricket teams including senior and junior outfits.
While there’s no official word from the board or Dhoni regarding the development, former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary wonders if the legendary wicketkeeper-batter has bothered to check his phone.
Since his playing days, Dhoni has been notorious for not being available on phone with several India cricketers confirming how it’s nearly impossible to get him to pick up their calls or even reply to messages.
“Ye to samay he batayega. Woh phone uthaye hain na? (Only time will tell. Did he pick up the phone?)” quipped Tiwary while speaking to news agency ANI.
“Jahaan tak mujhe pataa hain phone pe milna bohot mushkil hai woh! Message ka reply bhi milta bohot kam hai. Bohot saare players apne samay main kahaa bhi hai. Pataa nahi woh reply kya karenge… woh message padhenge ki nahi padhenge (As far as I know, it’s difficult to reach him on the phone. Replies to messages from him are also very rare, many players have said this. Will he read the message or not, we don’t know.),” he added.
#WATCH | Kolkata | On BCCI reportedly offering mentor role to former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni ahead of T20 World Cup 2026, former Indian Cricketer & West Bengal Minister, Manoj Tiwary, says, “… Did he pick up the phone? Because it is difficult to reach him on the… pic.twitter.com/EvayGz8tUe— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2025
On a serious note, Tiwary feels that should Dhoni end up accepting the offer, it will be quite useful for the Indian team, adding that the young stars will listen to the two-time world cup winning captain.
“The first thing is whether he (Dhoni) will accept the role or not. It’s very difficult for me to predict what impact he will bring. His experience as a captain and player will be very useful, as the new players emerging today and becoming stars of the Indian team give him a lot of respect. They will listen to him,” he added.
However, as per report in Cricblogger, Dhoni may not be keen on linking up with the team with Gautam Gambhir currently serving as the head coach of the senior men’s team across formats.
Dhoni, it is said, may want to avoid any possible clash with his former teammates as far as responsibilities are concerned.
“The pairing of MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir will also be worth watching. Will be outstanding. Let’s wait and watch, time will tell,” Tiwary said.
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital…Read More
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience in digital… Read More
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