MS Dhoni Picture Credit: BCCI
Team India had a dreadful end to their T20 World Cup campaign as they lost to England by ten wickets in the semifinal. The Rohit Sharma-led team looked hapless and short of options as Alex Hales and Jos Buttler tore apart the Indian bowling lineup. Not only with the ball, but India were timid with the bat as well. The conservative approach in the powerplays hurt India big time as they posted a below-par total.
This was the case for the Men in Blue throughout the tournament as they failed to capitalize on the field restrictions within the first six overs. While Rohit Shama tried to up the ante, KL Rahul never threatened to take on the opposition bowling attack. This put too much pressure on the middle order and hence India had to settle with below-par totals in many games.
Had Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav not stepped up, India might not have even made it to the semifinals. The bowling was good but only when the conditions favoured the bowlers. Spinners were a big disappointment throughout the tournament as both R Ashwin and Axar Patel looked defensive in their approach.
All these issues have now made the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ponder an overhaul in the shortest format. The Indian cricket board is ready to take the tough calls, just like England did back in 2015. Separate teams for separate formats and a few big and credible names who can produce results in the management is what the BCCI is thinking about.
And when it comes to winning trophies, no one knows it better than MS Dhoni. The man has won three ICC titles and four IPL titles in his captaincy career so far. Hence, the BCCI wants to utilize Dhoni’s knowledge about the game and thus wants him in the Indian T20I setup.
It can be in any form (manager or director of cricket) but will not be an interim role. “There has been talk in the BCCI about including a Mahendra Singh Dhoni in some capacity with the T20 side to bring in the expert skill for that fearless brand of cricket in ICC tournaments,” claims a Telegraph report.