T20 World Cup: MS Dhoni brings a sense of calmness in dressing room, says KL Rahul

KL Rahul has said that the Indian cricket team players are delighted to have MS Dhoni as their mentor for the T20 World Cup before adding that he has enjoyed spending time with his former India skipper over the last few days in the Indian dressing room.

Dhoni, who retired from international cricket last year, was earlier named Team India's mentor for the ICC event, which is underway in Oman and the UAE. Under Dhoni's captaincy, India won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007.

Rahul, who recently had a great run at the Indian Premier League (IPL), went on to add that Dhoni's presence in the Indian dressing room brings a sense of calmness.

"Obviously, MS Dhoni back with the team feels amazing because we have played under him and we have looked towards him as a mentor even when he was our captain. We loved having him in the dressing room when he was the captain, we loved the calmness. We have all looked up to him to help us out, to have him here is amazing.

This gives us a sense of calmness, I have enjoyed spending time with him in the first two to three days and it has been a lot of fun. Looking forward to chewing his brain about cricket, captaincy and all things cricket," Rahul said in a clubhouse session for Red Bull.

Dhoni recently captained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their fourth IPL title as they defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final. Dhoni was spotted at Team India's training in Dubai on Monday, where he was seen having a chat with the players and the support staff.

When India defeated England by seven wickets on Monday in their first warm-up game ahead of the Super 12s of the T20 World Cup, Dhoni was present in India's dressing room in Dubai. Batting first, India posted 192 for 3. Rahul scored 24-ball 51, while Ishan Kishan, who came out to bat at No. 3, scored 70 off 46.

The PBKS skipper also hailed Dhoni's fitness, saying he can give a run for money to any of the current Indian cricket team's players before adding that he would like to see Dhoni lead CSK for a few more seasons.

"None of us are sure that IPL 2021 final was his last game. I do not think, I would love to see MS Dhoni play for a lot more years if he could. I think Dhoni can give any of us stiff competition, he definitely is a guy who can hit the ball furthest, he is very strong and he is good between the wickets. He looks the fittest, it is good fun to have him," said Rahul, who is set to open for India at the T20 World Cup.

Earlier on Monday, India captain Virat Kohli confirmed that Rahul would open with Rohit Sharma, while the former would drop down to No. 3 during the T20 World Cup matches.

India are set to kickstart their T20 World Cup campaign by taking on Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (Oct. 24).