IPL 2022: Ravindra Jadeja to lead CSK after MS Dhoni decides to step down

Viswanathan said that while Dhoni had not personally informed him of his decision in advance, it was not a surprise to the franchise, and they had discussed the subject – the succession plan – even before the 2021 IPL and had alerted Jadeja at the time. “He [Jadeja] has been talked to earlier. Even last year, there was a proposal. We knew he would be the best person to succeed MS.”For the past two IPL seasons, there had been speculation around Dhoni’s future. Last November, at a function organised by Super Kings in Chennai, Dhoni had assured his fans that he would continue playing for the franchise for at least one more season.Viswanathan reckoned that Dhoni was waiting for the opportune time, just as he had when handing over the reins of the Indian team to Virat Kohli. “It is similar to when he handed Virat the captaincy after having groomed him for a few years at international level. Similarly, he wanted the transition to be smooth.”Viswanathan added that the franchise had immense confidence in Jadeja’s leadership. “Jaddu has the potential to do well for the franchise,” he said. “[He is a] good all-round cricketer, playing his best, he can get the team around. And MS’ guidance will always be there. This will be a good induction programme.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Recognised as one of India’s great all-format captains, Dhoni’s leadership legacy at Super Kings is similarly phenomenal. After he led India to the title at the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, former Tamil Nadu captain, the late VB Chandrasekhar, had told Super Kings owner N Srinivasan about Dhoni’s worth as a leader. Srinivasan had then asked Chandrasekhar, who was at the Super Kings table at the inaugural IPL auction, to acquire Dhoni at any cost.Dhoni has, over the years, repaid that faith with interest. In the 213 matches in which he led Super Kings – in the IPL and the now-defunct Champions League T20 – there were 130 wins, 81 losses, and, crucially, six titles: four at the IPL and two at the CLT20.Jadeja – new to captaincy, but no lack of leadership experience
As for Jadeja, he is totally inexperienced as a captain. Jadeja, 33, has never led a team at the senior level; he was the captain of an India Under-19 team in 2007.But Jadeja is recognised now as one of the finest all-format allrounders. In terms of fielding, there are few better than him in international cricket, but it his desire to keep improving that has become his biggest strength. Recently, Jadeja climbed to the No. 1 spot for allrounders in the ICC Test rankings after his match-winning performance in the Mohali Test against Sri Lanka, where he scored 175 and then returned a nine-wicket match haul. Jadeja is also in the top ten among ODI allrounders, and is also a crucial member of the T20I side.In the last two years at Super Kings, Jadeja has been the key finisher with the bat, a role that Dhoni had played for a long time. Between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Jadeja scored 459 runs at an average of 57.37 and a robust strike rate of 157.73. That included two half-centuries, the only times Jadeja has reached the landmark in a career of more than 270 matches. During this period, he also bagged 19 wickets in 30 matches at an economy of 7.78.While he might not have clocked enough captaincy hours, Jadeja has immense experience playing alongside Dhoni at Super Kings – 131 matches, since joining the team in 2012. And that, Viswanathan said that Dhoni felt, made Jadeja the best successor for him, considering he has the heft as a player, as a leader, as an allrounder, and as a matchwinner.