'Lajawab jodi hojayegi'
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly offered India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni the role of mentorship for the T20 World Cup 2026.
And former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary backed the potential partnership between Dhoni and head coach Gautam Gambhir to produce desired results at the marquee tournament.
Dhoni was also mentor of India's team at the failed campaign in 2021 ICC T20I World Cup, when Virat Kohli and Co were knocked out in the group stage.
Speaking to ANI, Tiwary asked, 'Did he (Dhoni) pick up the phone (from BCCI)? Because it is difficult to reach him on the phone He doesn't even reply to messages promptly.'
'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.'
'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 have. His experience as a captain and as a player will be very useful, as the new players emerging today and becoming stars of the Indian team give him a lot of respect,' Tiwary added,
'The pairing of MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir will also be worth watching. Lajawab jodi hojayegi' he signed off.
Dhoni and Gautam played together for India for many years and their most memorable partnership was during India's victorious World Cup 2011 final.
As captain, Dhoni guided India to titles in the T20 World Cup 2007, the World Cup 2011, and the Champions Trophy 2013. He also served as a mentor during the T20 World Cup 2021.
Dhoni and Gambhir have not had the smoothest of relationships as teammates with one report back in 2012 stating that Dhoni had dropped Gambhir over attitude problems and on-field ethics.
Gambhir has also taken pot shots at Dhoni in past stating he has never shared credit for India's win in the 2011 ODI World Cup final win.
Before that, Gambhir's India will first look to defend their Asia Cup title beginning on September 9.