Follow UsFormer South Africa captain Graeme Smith was surprised with how late MS Dhoni decided to hand over the Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja. The franchise made the announcement on Thursday (March 24), just two days prior to the start of the Indian Premier League 2022, and Smith feels his former Rajasthan Royals-teammate Jadeja might end up with too many things on his plate.
“I was surprised just because of the timing. We are so close to the tournament, so it surprised me that MS left it so late. Maybe he has realised that his body is not quite where it needs to be. His form, maybe he is not going to play every game because an IPL season is intense. MS is a very thoughtful man and I am sure he would have summed up this decision, thinking about all the pros and cons. He is CSK through and through and has led that franchise very well,” Smith, who won the inaugural edition IPL with Rajasthan, told Cricket.com in an exclusive interview.
“As a player, as an all-rounder, Jadeja’s form has been devastating. Overcoming that recent injury and then performing against Sri Lanka. The challenge for Jadeja is going to be that he has got a lot on his plate. As an all-rounder and a gun fielder, you now also have to make captaincy decisions… I think he is still going to need a lot from MS Dhoni behind the stumps. It’s going to be interesting to watch how Jaddu handles the stress of the leadership with having to manage his all-round game.”
The forthcoming edition of the franchise-based T20 league will get underway from Saturday (March 16), with defending champions Chennai taking on last year’s runner-up Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Just like CSK, KKR too will be under the new leadership. The two-time champions managed to acquire Shreyas Iyer for INR 12.25 crore in the mega auction and have given him the responsibility to lead the side. Smith feels having Brendon McCullum (head coach) will surely help him but also wants Iyer to be his own man on the field.
“Knowing Brendon McCullum, he is a very astute leader. I expect he would have done enough research about match-ups and stuff and will provide all that information to Shreyas Iyer. However, it’s also important to allow the captain to get a feel of the game and allow Iyer to bring out his tactical ability. He is in the peak of his career and will be motivated. When he is on the field, Iyer will have to become his own man and trust his own decision-making. He should lead the team and give them the confidence.”
The Men in Yellow will be without Moeen Ali in the first game, while Deepak Chahar won’t be available at least for the first half of the competition, and Smith thinks their absence could hurt Chennai in the opening encounter of the season.
“When we look at teams on paper… In terms of stability, I like KKR for game one. In the absence of Moeen and even Faf du Plessis, I think Chennai might take some time to settle in. There are a few uncertainties around Chennai’s line-up going into game one. Change of captaincy and change of top-order and the conditions in Mumbai might suit Kolkata better.”