With the defeat in the semi-final of T20 World Cup 2022, Team India’s drought of not winning any ICC trophy since 2013 has continued.
After India’s ouster from the semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2022, several critics and cricket experts are questioning the role of head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma. Team India lost to South Africa in the group stages and was routed by England in the semi-final. The conservative approach of the Indian top-order on a placid batting track at the Adelaide Oval attracted a flak from various quarters.
Amid the ongoing debate over an overhaul of Team India’s setup including the captain, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has backed MS Dhoni for the role of India’s head coach.
“Both VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag were fantastic players. But leadership and tactical prowess are very important because a coach also needs to be a mentor to the players. Looking at how successful MS Dhoni was in those aspects, he would be my first choice,” said Butt on his YouTube channel.
The former cricketer further suggested the Indian think tank to give more chances to youngsters in the future.
Greater things don’t happen unless you take risks. This is not a risk, it is more about testing the players. It won’t be the case that everyone will succeed, but you need to at least give people opportunities. By giving them more chances, you will be able to identify one or two players who can fill those gaps,” said Butt.
MS Dhoni is reportedly set to be offered another major role in Team India’s backroom staff by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup and the T20 World Cup in 2024. The former India captain had earlier served as the mentor of the Indian team during the T20 World Cup last year.
The most successful captain in the history of Indian cricket, Dhoni had a trophy-laden stint as a player. He led India to numerous memorable victories as captain both at home and overseas and remains the only skipper to have won all three major ICC limited-overs trophies – T20 World Cup, ODI World Cup, and the Champions Trophy.
Dhoni, who last played for India in 2019, announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020. However, he continues to represent Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and is expected to bring curtain downs on his IPL career after the 2023 season next year.
Team India are currently touring New Zeland for a three-match T20I series and as many ODIs. Both head Coach Dravid and captain Rohit have been rested for the tour. In their absence, VVS Laxman has taken over as head coach while Hardik Pandya and Shikhar Dhawan will be captains in the T20Is and ODIs respectively.
