Prominent cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni(MSD) quit as the Captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Thursday, leaving many fans heartbroken and shocked at the decision two days before the tournament. He handed the responsibility to Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who will lead the team.
According to ESPN Cricinfo, The CEO of CSK Kasi Viswanathan said, “Dhoni wanted the leadership transition to be smooth and felt Jadeja was ready to take up the mantle for the team.” He added, “MS Dhoni was thinking about it. He felt it is the right time to hand over the captaincy to Jaddu (Jadeja). He feels Jaddu is also in the prime form of his career, and it is the ideal time for him to lead CSK.”
He retired from International Cricket two years ago, on August 15, 2020, with his last match being played against New Zealand in the World Cup 2019. As a captain, Dhoni has had a magical spell, and the journey began with the 2007 World Cup Victory against Pakistan followed by a 2011 World Cup Win which many believed was a distant dream. Later again, India won the 2013 Champions Trophy tournament under his captaincy. However, this magical spell exists not just in International Tournaments but also domestically. Under his leadership, CSK has won four Indian premier league (IPL) trophies (2010,2011,2018 and 2021), reaching a record 9 IPL finals. Dhoni is key to the CSK squad even as a player. It can be said as the Vice-chairman of India cement and the owner of CSK N Srinivasan said, “There is no CSK without Dhoni, and there is no Dhoni without CSK”.
How did Social media react to this news?
Many netizens were left surprised by the 40-year-old’s decision and had nothing but praises for him. Even players like Faf du Plessis was seen in a video sharing his admiration for Mahi, and he said, “I was lucky enough to play under MS Dhoni for an extremely long time. So got to see very closely how his brain works. How things operate under him, we got a strong leadership within the group,”
One of his closest friends and his long-time teammate Suresh Raina tweeted, ” MSDhoni quits as captain – never in a million years did I think it was possible! What a leader @msdhoni has been and what a legacy he leaves for @imjadeja to carry the baton of the best team in the IPL by a mile @ChennaiIPL!”.
How does the Chennai Team look this year?
With a new Captain at the helm, Chennai Super Kings has a lot to prove this season. The CSK team retained four of its key players before the auction held in February. It includes MSD(12 Crore), Jadeja(16 Crore), Moeen Ali(8 Crore), and Ruturaj Gaikwad(6 Crore). The team has a strong bowling line-up which includes Indian fast bowler Deepak Chahar, Chris Jordan (England), Moeen Ali(England), and a strong batting line-up consisting of fire-power, which comprises players like Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, and the captain Jadeja himself.
The team plays its first match on the opening day of the IPL 2022 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium.
