As Dhoni passes the baton again, CSK says it is better prepared | Cricket | Top Vip News

MS Dhoni must have thought about his decision to hand over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to Ruturaj Gaikwad for many days, if not weeks or months. However, in signature Dhoni style, it was not until Thursday, the eve of the IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, that he let it out to the rest of the world via a brief press release from the franchise.

Dhoni, 42, has a habit of taking these important calls without revealing much. He hints at his exit from the Test in Melbourne in 2014, which again came through a BCCI statement shortly after an interaction with the media at the end of a drawn Test where he remained tight-lipped about his intentions. . The retirement of limited edition cricket for India, in 2020, also came without emotional speeches or teary-eyed farewells, a social media post saying “as of 7:29 p.m., consider me retired” marks the end of a decorated international career.

Almost five years since he last played for India, Dhoni is likely to call it a day after this IPL season. And the decision to hand over the CSK captaincy to Gaikwad is a sign of that, as is the long hair he is growing out in a throwback to his early days in the limelight.

Needless to say, Gaikwad has big boots to fill as Dhoni is undoubtedly among the best captains to have graced the limited overs game. His legacy as CSK leader is unlikely to be matched as he won five IPL titles in an extremely successful tenure that began in 2008. CSK have won 130 of the 220 matches in which Dhoni has led them.

This is not Dhoni’s first attempt at a leadership transition at CSK. In 2022, he decided to step down from the captaincy and let star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja take charge. The franchise, however, won only two of its first eight matches, leading to Jadeja resigning and Dhoni regaining the captaincy, while CSK finished in a modest ninth place.

If Gaikwad is the man chosen this time, it is because he has established his credentials as an opening batsman over the last four seasons. And since he is 27 years old, CSK will be able to build their team around him when a mega auction takes place in 2025.

In a pre-match interaction on Thursday, CSK coach Stephen Fleming revealed that this was Dhoni’s decision alone. “He was MS with a lot of consideration, with a vision for the future after a good season last year. The moment was good. Behind the scenes, Ruturaj and others have been in the process of preparing for the captaincy. The opportunity has arisen. “MS is the best judge and felt it was the right time,” said the New Zealander.

Fleming, who has been CSK coach since 2009, admitted that they were not well prepared for a transition when Jadeja became captain in 2022. “The important thing a couple of years ago is that we were probably not prepared for MS to take over. one side,” the 50-year-old acknowledged. “What that did was shake us up as a leadership group to consider the possibility of when he leaves. Until then, it was almost unthinkable. “We have worked very hard to ensure that the mistakes that were made then are not made again.”

When asked if Dhoni will be Gaikwad’s on-field mentor, Fleming said: “Yes, I hope so. It’s about striking that balance without interfering, but also providing the leadership that you can’t ignore. He (Dhoni) has too big a presence and you can’t just turn it off.”

While Dhoni’s leadership attributes have made up for the drop in his personal earnings in the last few seasons, CSK will be hoping his batting skills come to the fore this year. He was hampered by a knee injury last season and as a result mostly ranked at No. 7 or No. 8, but after undergoing surgery in June, he hopes to achieve those big hits and win more matches with his bat. .

“I hope MS works and works well,” Fleming said. “The signs from his preseason are that he is doing very well. His body is much better and stronger than last year. From what I can see, their desire to contribute and do well is as high as ever, which is great for us. He is hitting the ball beautifully into the nets.”