Picture Credit: IPL
After a famous T20 World Cup win in 2007 on his debut ICC tournament stint as a captain, MS Dhoni gradually earned icon status in Indian cricket. He was chosen to lead the Chennai Super Kings in 2008 by the top BCCI brass N. Srinivasan, who is the owner of CSK.
Until 2021, Dhoni did not disappoint the decision taken by Srinivasan as the team made a huge fan base due to the consistent performances of the team in the tournament. Dhoni led the team to a record number of playoffs (11) and the second-highest number of title victories (4).
Ahead of IPL 2022, MS Dhoni passed the baton to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who will hold the key for the team in the future. During the retentions as well, Dhoni opted to take the second bracket (12 Crores) and Jadeja was the first-choice pick with a contract of 16 Crores. This was due to Dhoni conveying to the team management about his decision to play for 1-2 years maximum for CSK.
In a recent post-match talk hosted by Gaurav Kapoor on Cricbuzz Live, commentator Simon Doull and sports producer Joy Bhattacharjya spoke on the Dhoni-Jadeja equation in the IPL 2022. The duo were answering the question asked by Gaurav on CSK languishing at the bottom of the table after losing their first 3 matches on the trot, which happened for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Joy said, “You can’t hold a guy responsible for the decision he is not making,” which aimed at who took the decision to bring Dube into the attack in the 19th over, who gave away 25 runs in a single over. It was quite evident that Dhoni acted as the captain of the team, while Jadeja was seen fielding near the boundary and had no interaction with the bowlers during the death overs of Match 7 of IPL 2022 between LSG and CSK. This certainly can contain Jadeja’s growth until Dhoni features for the CSK team in the tournament.