India under pressure, that's why they are taking MS Dhoni as mentor: Tanvir Ahmed

Along with the squad for the T20 World Cup 2021, the BCCI announced that former skipper MS Dhoni will mentor the side for the mega event. Ahead of the start of the tournament, Virat Kohli announced that he will step down as team India’s T20 captain post the World Cup. However, former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed said that these decisions have been taken because India is under pressure.

Ahmed stated that India is a top team but their recent performances haven’t been too impressive. He further added that most of the players in India’s squads weren’t amongst the top ten performers of the IPL. He shed light on the form of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and added that the team is under pressure.

“On paper, there is no doubt that India is a top team. The way they have played cricket around the world, but you have to look at recent performances. Firstly, I’d like to talk about Virat Kohli. He was under a lot of pressure and he quit T20 captaincy. He said I won’t captain in T20s as my performances have not been great.

“Then, maybe they were under pressure so they are taking MS Dhoni as a mentor. Even if you look at the IPL, the players in India’s squad were not among the top 10 performers. Their spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have not done very well, so of course, there will be pressure,” Ahmed said in a program with ABP News and ARY News.

Pakistan have a good idea of the conditions: Tanvir Ahmed

India and Pakistan will battle it out against each other to kickstart their World Cup campaign on October 24. India has a dominating record over Pakistan in the World Cups. However, Ahmed stated that the Men in Green have more experience of playing in the UAE and pointed that the team will have an edge over India.

“If you look at Pakistan, they have been playing cricket in Dubai for a long time, they have a good idea of the conditions. On paper, fine, India has a good team, but in T20 cricket, you never know. One player can come and win you the match and go,” Ahmed added.