The Board of Control for Cricket in India has reportedly offered a mentorship role with the Indian cricket team to former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni ahead of the T20 World Cup next year. Reacting to this, former India cricketer and Member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Manoj Tiwary has taken a jibe at the former India captain by asking: “Did he pick up the phone? Because it is difficult to reach him on the phone.”
Dhoni led India to the the titles in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. While he has retired from international cricket, Dhoni still continues to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Dhoni is known to be a recluse, a fact that Tiwary made a reference to when asked about media reports about Dhoni taking over as a mentor with the Indian cricket team.
“Woh phone uthaye hain na? Jahaan tak mujhe pataa hain phone pe milna bohot mushkil hai woh! Message ka reply bhi milta bohot kam hai. Bohot players apne samay main kahaa bhi hai. Pataa nahi woh reply kya karenge… woh message padhenge ki nahi padhenge (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 red the message or not, we don’t know),” Tiwary said when asked by news agency ANI.
#WATCH | Kolkata | On BCCI reportedly offering mentor role to former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni ahead of T20 World Cup 2026, former Indian Cricketer & West Bengal Minister, Manoj Tiwary, says, “… Did he pick up the phone? Because it is difficult to reach him on the… pic.twitter.com/EvayGz8tUe
— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2025
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adding: “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 becoming stars of the Indian team give him a lot of respect. The pairing of MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir will also be worth watching.”
