Rumours of Dhoni as India mentor mocked, but Gambhir link-up seen as ‘worth watching': ‘Woh phone uthaaye hain?’

Rumours are circulating that the BCCI has offered former India captain MS Dhoni the mentorship role ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka. Dhoni previously mentored Team India during the T20 World Cup 2021.

While the speculation is generating immense buzz in the cricketing fraternity, former India batsman Manoj Tiwary has made a standout comment on the subject.

Tiwary not confident Dhoni would have picked the call

Since Dhoni is not known to be available through phone or messages, Tiwary was quick to bring that up while addressing whether Dhoni can take up the mentorship role for Team India or not.

“Only time will tell,” Tiwary told news agency ANI. He has been given the offer. Woh phone uthaye hain na?(Did he pick up the phone?) Because it is 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."

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From cricketers to Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, many have stated in the past that Dhoni has ignored their messages.

Dhoni was appointed as Team India’s mentor for the 2021 T20 World Cup. The tournament does not bring happy memories for Indian fans, as the team crashed out in the group stage itself. It was in this same tournament that the Virat Kohli-led side suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss to Pakistan.

Gambhir and Dhoni partnership will be worth watching

Tiwary further highlighted that the potential collaboration would create an interesting dynamic, as Gautam Gambhir is serving as the current head coach. Given the history between the former India teammates, it would be interesting to see what the partnership might deliver.

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“The first thing is whether he will accept the role or not. It’s very difficult for me to predict what impact he will have. His experience as a captain and as a player will be very useful, as the new players emerging today and upcoming stars of the Indian team give him a lot of respect," said Tiwary.

“The pairing of MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir will also be worth watching,” he added.