A mentor can only help as much because it is the players who will have to go out there and perform the "actual task", the legendary Sunil Gavaskar said on the appointment of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the Indian team mentor for the T20 World Cup.

India will play Pakistan on Sunday in the Super 12s and Gavaskar feels that in this format Virat Kohli's team can't be termed clear favourites.

"Mentor can't do much," Gavaskar told Aaj Tak. "Yes, he can help you prepare in change room as its a fast-paced game and if needed, help you tweak the tactic."

"May be speak to batters and bowlers during time-out, so the move to employ Dhoni is a good one but Dhoni will be in the change room and its the players who have to perform the actual task in the middle. How they handle pressure would determine what the result will be," Gavaskar said during the event.

Gavaskar feels Kohli will feel lesser pressure now that he has decided to quit captaincy in the T20 format.

"When you become a captain, you can't just think about yourself, he has to speak to a batter who is going through a bad patch or discuss strategies with a bowler.

"Amid all this, one tends to neglect his own form. When you don't have that pressure, you can focus on your own game. I think it will be good for Virat that after T20 World Cup, he doesn't have to think about responsibilities.

"So he can focus on his own game and score as many runs as possible," he added.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/people-call-him-indias-inzamam-shoaib-akhtar-names-india-star-who-is-liked-more-than-virat-kohli-in-pakistan-422882">People call him India's Inzamam:&nbsp;Akhtar names India star who is liked more than Virat Kohli in Pakistan</a>

Gavaskar, one of the most respected voices in world cricket, also pointed out that India's failure to win knock-out games in global tournaments has been primarily due to the faulty team selections.

"India's problem in big matches has been team combination. If they would have got final XI selection right in knock out games, they would have had less problems. At times, your thought process is different," he said.

"In knock-outs and finals, you should bat first, put runs on the board, whatever you put, 140 may be, the other team has to score and it's not always easy to score at seven runs per over in international cricket," he explained.

"So when we haven't batted first, in a chase, if you lose one or two wickets, you consolidate and then catch up becomes a problem and they (Indian batters) have been found wanting."

In T20 cricket, Gavaskar has found one flaw with the Indian batting and that's losing momentum between overs 7 and 12.

"India's batting weakness has been in the overs after Powerplay, between 7 and 12. After 7 overs, we start struggling. It will be great if we can bat well in those four to five overs and score 40 runs," he said.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/felt-like-bowling-a-40-ball-over-when-misbah-slammed-harbhajan-for-3-sixes-in-2007-t20-wc-final-423012">'Felt like bowling a 40-ball over': When Misbah slammed Harbhajan for 3 sixes in 2007 T20 WC final</a>

But Gavaskar was pretty clear that India do not start as favourites.

"In T20 cricket, it's not difficult to beat any team. Yes, in Tests, you can say that whether you have that kind of depth in batting or bowling matters. But in T20, no team is favourite and the team that makes less mistakes will win," he said.

Gavaskar had one advice for the teams.

"Just giving it your all at times might not be sufficient. With hard work you also need to use your brain."&nbsp;

A mentor can only help as much because it is the players who will have to go out there and perform the "actual task", the legendary Sunil Gavaskar said on the appointment of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the Indian team mentor for the T20 World Cup.

A mentor can only help as much because it is the players who will have to go out there and perform the "actual task", the legendary Sunil Gavaskar said on the appointment of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the Indian team mentor for the T20 World Cup. India will play Pakistan on Sunday in the Super 12s and Gavaskar feels that in this format Virat Kohli's team can't be termed clear favourites. "Mentor can't do much," Gavaskar told Aaj Tak. "Yes, he can help you prepare in change room as its a fast-paced game and if needed, help you tweak the tactic." "May be speak to batters and bowlers during time-out, so the move to employ Dhoni is a good one but Dhoni will be in the change room and its the players who have to perform the actual task in the middle. How they handle pressure would determine what the result will be," Gavaskar said during the event. Gavaskar feels Kohli will feel lesser pressure now that he has decided to quit captaincy in the T20 format. "When you become a captain, you can't just think about yourself, he has to speak to a batter who is going through a bad patch or discuss strategies with a bowler. "Amid all this, one tends to neglect his own form. When you don't have that pressure, you can focus on your own game. I think it will be good for Virat that after T20 World Cup, he doesn't have to think about responsibilities. "So he can focus on his own game and score as many runs as possible," he added. Also Read: People call him India's Inzamam: Akhtar names India star who is liked more than Virat Kohli in Pakistan Gavaskar, one of the most respected voices in world cricket, also pointed out that India's failure to win knock-out games in global tournaments has been primarily due to the faulty team selections. "India's problem in big matches has been team combination. If they would have got final XI selection right in knock out games, they would have had less problems. At times, your thought process is different," he said. "In knock-outs and finals, you should bat first, put runs on the board, whatever you put, 140 may be, the other team has to score and it's not always easy to score at seven runs per over in international cricket," he explained. "So when we haven't batted first, in a chase, if you lose one or two wickets, you consolidate and then catch up becomes a problem and they (Indian batters) have been found wanting." In T20 cricket, Gavaskar has found one flaw with the Indian batting and that's losing momentum between overs 7 and 12. "India's batting weakness has been in the overs after Powerplay, between 7 and 12. After 7 overs, we start struggling. It will be great if we can bat well in those four to five overs and score 40 runs," he said. ALSO READ: 'Felt like bowling a 40-ball over': When Misbah slammed Harbhajan for 3 sixes in 2007 T20 WC final But Gavaskar was pretty clear that India do not start as favourites. "In T20 cricket, it's not difficult to beat any team. Yes, in Tests, you can say that whether you have that kind of depth in batting or bowling matters. But in T20, no team is favourite and the team that makes less mistakes will win," he said. Gavaskar had one advice for the teams. "Just giving it your all at times might not be sufficient. With hard work you also need to use your brain."

T20 World Cup: Mentors can't do much, it's players who have to perform: Sunil Gavaskar on MS Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has joined Team India's camp as the Virat Kohli &amp; Co. begin their preparations for their ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign, BCCI on Sunday (October 17) released pictures of Dhoni with some Indian players. The tournament is underway in the United Arab Emirates and Oman.&nbsp;

Former Team India skipper Dhoni was appointed as the team's mentor last month and has joined the Indian camp after leading Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their fourth Indian Premier League title.&nbsp;

The BCCI's official Twitter account shared images of Dhoni interacting with Team India, with the comment: "Extending a very warm welcome to the KING. @msdhoni is back with #TeamIndia and in a new role."

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ms-dhoni-to-be-the-1st-player-to-be-kept-by-csk-if-retentions-are-allowed-ahead-of-ipl-mega-auction-report-421442">MS Dhoni to be the 1st player to be kept by CSK if retentions are allowed ahead of IPL mega auction&nbsp;</a>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Extending a very warm welcome to the KING 👑<a href="https://twitter.com/msdhoni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@msdhoni</a> is back with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> and in a new role!💪 <a href="https://t.co/Ew5PylMdRy">pic.twitter.com/Ew5PylMdRy</a>
— BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/1449766996879548428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Virat Kohli, India's captain, stated on Saturday (October 16) that having MS Dhoni as&nbsp;a mentor for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup will benefit his team.

"Massive experience. He is quite excited about getting back in this environment. He has always been a mentor for all of us, when we were starting our careers at the time he played and now he has the same opportunity to continue the same again."

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/t20-world-cup-having-ms-dhoni-as-mentor-will-benefit-team-says-indian-skipper-virat-kohli-421357">T20 World Cup: 'Having MS Dhoni as mentor will benefit team,' says Indian skipper Virat Kohli</a>

"Especially for the younger guys who are in early stages of their career, just experience that he has gained over the years and having conversations with him about the game,"&nbsp;said Kohli during a Captain's Call organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) ahead of the upcoming Men's T20 World Cup.

"Such practical inputs and such intricate details of where the game is going and where we can improve. He makes a difference when he is in a leadership role in any team, absolutely delighted to have him in this environment. He will certainly boost the morale of the team further," he added.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has joined Team India's camp as the Virat Kohli & Co. begin their preparations for their ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign, BCCI on Sunday (October 17) released pictures of Dhoni with some Indian players.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has joined Team India's camp as the Virat Kohli & Co. begin their preparations for their ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign, BCCI on Sunday (October 17) released pictures of Dhoni with some Indian players. The tournament is underway in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Former Team India skipper Dhoni was appointed as the team's mentor last month and has joined the Indian camp after leading Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their fourth Indian Premier League title. The BCCI's official Twitter account shared images of Dhoni interacting with Team India, with the comment: "Extending a very warm welcome to the KING. @msdhoni is back with #TeamIndia and in a new role." Also Read: MS Dhoni to be the 1st player to be kept by CSK if retentions are allowed ahead of IPL mega auction Extending a very warm welcome to the KING 👑@msdhoni is back with #TeamIndia and in a new role!💪 pic.twitter.com/Ew5PylMdRy — BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2021 × Virat Kohli, India's captain, stated on Saturday (October 16) that having MS Dhoni as a mentor for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup will benefit his team. "Massive experience. He is quite excited about getting back in this environment. He has always been a mentor for all of us, when we were starting our careers at the time he played and now he has the same opportunity to continue the same again." ALSO READ: T20 World Cup: 'Having MS Dhoni as mentor will benefit team,' says Indian skipper Virat Kohli "Especially for the younger guys who are in early stages of their career, just experience that he has gained over the years and having conversations with him about the game," said Kohli during a Captain's Call organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) ahead of the upcoming Men's T20 World Cup. "Such practical inputs and such intricate details of where the game is going and where we can improve. He makes a difference when he is in a leadership role in any team, absolutely delighted to have him in this environment. He will certainly boost the morale of the team further," he added.

T20 WC: MS Dhoni joins Team India camp as Virat Kohli & Co. begin preparations - see pics

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T20 World Cup: Mentors can't do much, it's players who have to perform: Sunil Gavaskar on MS Dhoni

T20 WC: MS Dhoni joins Team India camp as Virat Kohli & Co. begin preparations - see pics