Follow UsFor the first time since 2008, it will be an Indian Premier League without either Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni being a captain of their respective franchise. On March 21 (Thursday), five-time IPL-winning skipper Dhoni dropped a bombshell, announcing that he would step down from his role as Chennai Super King’s captain.
And, in the most CSK fashion, the franchise left it to the IPL social handles to announce that Ruturaj Gaikwad would be the new skipper. While it came as a shock to many, Rajasthan Royals’ all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin insisted that it is not a ‘sudden move’.
“The greatest lessons are in the losses, and the greatest learning curves will come in the wins as well. So, Gaikwad should be trusted. Dhoni will still be on the field to help him out, and I’m sure he has already trained him. It wouldn’t have been a sudden move, Dhoni could have even told him last year. He’s anyway there for Gaikwad,” Ashwin said on his YouTube live on March 21.
Ashwin, who has played 121 times for the franchise, also reckoned that the 42-year-old always keeps the team in front of him, and that’s where the decision to hand over the captaincy comes from.
“Typical MS Dhoni style, he relinquished captaincy. Not the first time MS has done this, a lot of people have put this as a flaw for the franchise. This was an inevitable decision, I know Dhoni quite well, he always keeps the team in front, and that’s why he gave the captaincy to Jadeja (in 2022). Now, it is Ruturaj’s time. Knee injuries are tricky, so this decision had to happen,” he added.
However, the move wasn’t overly celebrated, with a lot of people casting their doubt on whether Gaikwad would be able to fill Dhoni’s ‘paramount’ shoes. But Ashwin made it clear as daylight that Dhoni’s success is not Gaikwad’s burden to carry.
“Dhoni’s success is not Ruturaj’s burden to carry. It is his time to have fun, enjoy and live in the moment. CSK’s management will be very realistic, and they will give him breathing space. It was quite obvious that they were grooming Rutu (even from the outside),” he said.
“Wow, what a legacy and what a shoe to fill for Ruturaj Gaikwad. Having said that, I will be elated for that guy. We shouldn’t look at it as a bad move at all, we should celebrate Gaikwad. Unbelievable for someone like Gaikwad to lead such a team. Fans will have to help him celebrate that, not make it a burden, and give him space,” he added.
Chennai Super Kings play the tournament’s curtain raiser on March 22 (Friday) against their foes Royal Challengers Bangalore in front of their home fans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Downloaded new Cricket.com Fantasy App Yet? Don't delay, Download Now.