NEW DELHI, March 24: The former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, known for giving cricketing surprises on and off the field, played the trick once again, suddenly stepping back as the captain of the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League and handing over the reins of the team to his trusted lieutenant Ravindra Jadeja, the noted Indian all-rounder.
The change two days before the 2022 IPL season scheduled to begin on Saturday with the CSK playing the inaugural match against Kolkata Knight Riders, caught even the team owners by surprise. The team CEO Kasi Viswanathan said “if Dhoni takes a decision, it has to be in the best interest of the team. “See whatever decision MS takes it is in the best interest of the team. So there is nothing to worry for us. We respect his decision. He is always there to guide us,” Viswanathan said.
Dhoni, who had been the CSK captain right from the first season in 2008, has turned his team to be the most successful outfit in the IPL having taken his team to the finals nine times, four times lifting the trophy and five times ending up as the runners-up.
In a brief statement on Thursday the CSK management said the 40-year-old will continue to represent the franchise for the “season and beyond”, having led one of the most successful IPL sides since the tournament’s inception in 2008 — barring the two seasons when the team was suspended in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal.
“MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK,” the statement said. “Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond,” the franchise added.
Dhoni, 40, who had announced his international retirement on August 15, 2020, had led CSK to their fourth title last season. The World Cup-winning captain has always been his own man when it comes to leaving captaincy or announcing his retirement.
He quit Test captaincy and also the five-day game in the middle of a series in Australia in 2014. And when he thought Virat Kohli was ready to lead India across formats, Dhoni made way for him in 2017. Though the inspirational leader carried on to play the IPL after announcing his international retirement in his inimitable style, his decision to hand over the CSK leadership to Jadeja apparently was taken looking to the future.
Dhoni knew that he can’t go on forever and the 33-year-old Jadeja, who is at the peak of his prowess, is ready for the challenge. The southpaw was CSK’s number one retention before the auction ahead of Dhoni, Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaekwad. “He has always been the guiding force and will continue to be the guiding force,” Viswanathan said. Asked if the 2022 edition can be Dhoni’s last season, the CEO added: “I don’t think it will be his last season. As long as he is fit, we want him to play. That is my wish, I don’t know about him (what he thinks).” On Jadeja’s ascension as captain, Viswanathan said the all-rounder is primed to do well.
The last time Jadeja captained a cricket side was on October 28, 2007, when he led Saurashtra Under-19 against Mumbai Under-19 in the Vinoo Mankad tournament at the Western Railway Ground in Rajkot. Jadeja reclaimed the top spot from West Indies’ Jason Holder in the latest ICC Test rankings for all-rounders released on Wednesday. Jadeja had risen to No. 1 after his 175 not out and nine wickets in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali earlier this month.
(Manas Dasgupta)
