MS Dhoni’s experience of handling pressure will be a big advantage to India: Gautam Gambhir

Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir believes MS Dhoni’s experience of handling pressure will be a big advantage to India. The BCCI on Wednesday named Dhoni as the mentor for the T20 World Cup for the Indian team. Dhoni has all the experience under his belt and his presence in the dressing room will definitely add value.

The former Indian skipper had led India to glory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and also led the team to famous wins in the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. Dhoni was well known to keep his composure during tense situations of the match and his presence will definitely help Virat Kohli in getting the best out of the players.

Dhoni will be seen in a different role, which he has never been seen since announcing his retirement. The former Indian skipper will look to get the best of the young players.

Meanwhile, India last won a major ICC Trophy back in 2013 when Dhoni led the team to victory against England but since then the team hasn’t savored success despite being a consistent side during the big events.

Gautam Gambhir said while talking to Star Sports, “It’s a good story. It’s a very good story to have. But I am sure his role will be defined because you have got the head coach, you have got the bowling coach and other support staff. I am sure Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri wanted something apart from what they have. India has been a very successful side in T20 cricket. Had India struggled in T20 cricket, they would have had to get someone from outside”.

“But MS Dhoni’s experience, his mindset of handling pressure in those crunch games is probably why they have got him as a mentor. Not purely from the skill point of view, because these guys have all the skills.

“It is just probably to help them handle pressure in those important games because India has missed out on those important knockout games. Probably, his experience of captaining the side, probably handling the pressure in those important games could be a huge advantage to these young players,” Gambhir added.

“You have to remember most of these guys are young. Rahul Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy and some of the batters, have not played any World Cup matches. I am sure MS Dhoni will share his experience.”

MS Dhoni’s presence in India’s dressing room will definitely bring calmness as the former captain is well known to handle tough situations. India will begin their T20 World Cup against Pakistan on October 24 in Dubai.