'Impossible to understand, what happened overnight?' - Ajay Jadeja questions MS Dhoni's appointment as Team India mentor

Questioning BCCI’s move of appointing MS Dhoni as Team India mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup, former Indian batter Ajay Jadeja has expressed surprise, as he could not understand the reasoning behind a sudden need for such a position in the team.

The BCCI announced a 15-member Indian squad for the T20 World Cup, scheduled between October 17 to November 14 in UAE and Oman, on Thursday (September 9). Alongside the squad, the board secretary Jay Shah also welcomed Dhoni, who retired from all forms of cricket in August 2019, as a mentor for the team.

BCCI’s move has received mixed reactions so far, with certain experts suggesting it to be a masterstroke, while others questioning the motive behind it. Unarguably one of the most successful leaders in sport, MS Dhoni’s presence is understood to help the Indian team who are in search of an ICC title since their Champions Trophy triumph of 2013.

The move is a little surprising: Ajay Jadeja

However, speaking during an interaction on Sony Sports Network, Jadeja said: “It is impossible for me to understand. I am thinking for two days about what could be the thinking. I am not talking of MS Dhoni, the understanding he has or how useful he can be, I am not going towards that. It was like you sent Ravindra [Jadeja] ahead of Ajinkya [Rahane], the person thinks why it has been done.

“I am surprised. There is no fan bigger than me of MS Dhoni. I believe MS Dhoni was the first captain who made the next captain before leaving or they used to always keep changing whenever they wanted,” the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Stressing further on how well India has done under the leadership of Virat Kohli and Head Coach Ravi Shastri, Jadeja reckoned that it is surprising to see the appointment of a mentor for a team. “There is a coach who has taken the team to world No.1, what happened overnight that a mentor was required? That thinking is surprising me a little,” he said.

India, who are clubbed alongside Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, will kickstart their T20 World Cup campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on 24th October.