T20 World Cup 2021: BCCI's decision to appoint MS Dhoni as India's mentor a special case, says Kapil Dev

India great Kapil Dev has lauded BCCI's decision to appoint MS Dhoni as the mentor of the Indian cricket team for the T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman, saying that "it seems a special case" since he has come back to the setup only after one year of retirement.

BCCI on Wednesday made a surprise announcement on former India captain's role when the squad for the T20 World Cup was named. Secretary Jay Shah said that MS Dhoni showed a keen interest after the board approached him for the role. He added that Dhoni agreed to come on board as a mentor ahead of the crucial assignment for Virat Kohli and his side. 

Kapil Dev believes there should be a gap of at least three to four years for a retired cricketer to come back to the national setup, but this is a special case with the World T20 around the corner.

"It is a good decision. I have always been of the opinion that once a cricketer retires he should come back to the setup only after three-four years but this seems like a special case with the World Cup around the corner. Ravi (Shastri) is also down with COVID so it looks a special case," Kapil said.

MS Dhoni is expected to join the squad after completion of his Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 stint with Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni arrived in Dubai last month and has been training with a few of his CSK teammates for the resumption of the tournament from September 19.

India announced a 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup and named 3 stand-by players. While off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned to the side, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, all-rounder Krunal Pandya and opener Shikhar Dhawan were among the notable omissions.